Dark Days In Gotham
by skca54
Summary: The City is reeling from the death of the Mob Boss, Falcone and of Fish Mooney. Penguin has taken over in Gotham and the GCPD is ripe with corruption. Gotham's only hope will be the City's new vigilantes: Batman and Catwoman. Based on the 'Gotham' TV show, but in an alternative universe and linked with my Kick-Ass Forsaken Universe.
1. Where To Start

**Authors Note:** _This is my nineteenth (published) story. This story belongs in my Kick-Ass **Forsaken** universe and uses characters and events from that story. The story fits in chronologically after Chapter 200 of **Forsaken** and follows on from the events of another one of my stories, **The Gotham Vigilantes**. Various other existing characters from **Forsaken** and **The Gotham Vigilantes** will feature in this story. All the events of this story are based in and around the City of Gotham and the 'Gotham' TV series, although in an Alternative Universe._

 _This story will also feature events from 'Gotham' Season 1 and Season 2._

 _**** THERE MAY BE SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN GOTHAM SEASONS 1 & 2 ****_

 _As usual, I look forward, with some trepidation, to any reviews. I promise to accept all criticism. In addition, I am still British so my spelling and grammar may look and seem strange to some._

 ** _Synopsis:_** _After meeting up with Hit Girl, in Gotham (see my other story: **The Gotham Vigilantes** ) and being exposed to the life of the vigilante, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle headed to Chicago to start their own vigilante training. After a week's exhausting Boot Camp under the tutelage of Hit Girl and her team, the pair returned to a very different Gotham to that which they had left._

 _The City was still reeling from the death of the Mob Boss, Falcone, at the hands of Hit Girl, and the violent death of Fish Mooney. Oswald Cobblepot, AKA Penguin, has taken over the deceased Fish Mooney's organisation and he is now set to face off against the Mob Boss, Maroni. The face-off is expected to set the City of Gotham ablaze. To add to the woes that face Gotham, the GCPD is ripe with corruption and the supposed centre of law and order needs cleaned out from the very top to the very bottom._

 _Gotham's only hope will be the City's new vigilantes: Batman and Catwoman._

* * *

 ** _Sunday, October 25th 2015_**

 ** _Wayne Manor, Gotham_**

Bruce Wayne was very pleased to be back home, especially after the previous two weeks.

He was also more than pleased to have Selina Kyle, otherwise known as Cat, with him. As they climbed out of the rear of the car, she took his offered hand and they both walked hand in hand into the Manor. Alfred could not resist a smirk as he followed them inside.

"Something to eat, Master Bruce, Miss Selina?"

"Yes please, Alfred," Selina replied as she warmed to her new role. "We would like that."

* * *

The work that Alfred had instigated on Wayne Manor, during their absence, was almost complete.

While Alfred was busy in the Manor's capacious kitchen preparing some food, Selina and I entered the Study and I pulled out a certain book, from a certain shelf, and opened it. Selina pressed the button on the remote after she had removed it from the book. The music began and the fireplace backwards sank into the wall where it revealed the staircase which vanished downwards into the darkness beneath Wayne Manor.

At least it _had_ been darkness. Now, though, there was bright white LED illumination which extended down each of the one-hundred and eighty-four stone steps. At the bottom, the immediate area was brightly lit and there was a Jeep SUV parked over to one side of the large open area.

"Ah, Master Wayne; _so_ pleased to see you back in Gotham!"

"It is good to see you too, Lucius!" I replied.

"Glad to be back?" Lucius Fox asked with a grin.

"So far..." Selina admitted.

Fox then took us on a tour of our updated facilities. All of the light fittings had been upgraded, which made the subterranean cave just a little less sinister. There was an awesome fitness centre with a training mat and weights. The firing range was very impressive too. We had been _so_ busy when _Fusion_ had been in Gotham that we had not really explored the entire cave system. One room that we had missed, thinking that it was a mere storeroom, had been my Dad's subterranean study.

The room was more than a little dusty and it had obviously not been used in a while. There was a desk, shelves of books and several locked filing cabinets. So far, there had not been time to go through everything but what we _had_ delved into showed that my father had been busy digging deep into the darker side of Wayne Enterprises.

I discovered that I had two jobs ahead of me: to clean up Gotham _and_ clean up Wayne Enterprises.

* * *

 ** _The following morning  
Monday_**

I awoke to a bright light – actually 'rudely awakened' might have been a better term.

The room lights had just been turned on. I blinked in the blinding lights and it took a minute or two before I could focus on the grinning face of Alfred.

"Time to get up, Master Bruce!"

"What time is it?"

"Oh six hundred..."

"What!"

"I have laid out what you need to go for your morning run, Master Bruce – I am about to wake Miss Selina..."

With that, Alfred was gone...

* * *

 ** _Twenty minutes later_**

I was _not_ happy.

I was cold and I was tired – it was barely light and there was a mist which hovered a foot or so off the grass. Alfred looked very happy with himself – too damned happy! Bruce just glowered at his Butler.

"I have marked out a course – about two miles or so; now don't dawdle as breakfast will be in one hour..."

"I hate him," I growled as I grabbed Bruce and we started to jog.

The grounds of Wayne Manor were very cold and Alfred's course included running up steps and jumping over streams! After fifteen minutes, we were panting heavily when we stopped for a short break. Mindy's workouts were helping with our stamina but we had a long way to go and I thought that I was fit, too. Mind you, Bruce was breathing much more heavily than I was and he looked like he was about to collapse.

After a few minutes of lying down – maybe not the best idea – I dragged Bruce back to his feet and we continued on our morning run.

..._...

We jogged the last few yards into the kitchen at the Manor where the ever cheerful Alfred greeted us.

"Leave those muddy shoes there; I'll clean them ready for tomorrow morning..."

"What – tomorrow!" Bruce exclaimed. "Again?"

"You trying to kill us?" I demanded.

"No; I'm trying to keep you alive..." Alfred replied darkly.

* * *

After a quick shower and breakfast, we sat down to plan our next activities.

We had a lot to do if we wanted to get out into the city and turn Gotham around. We had skills, but they were limited – we needed to improve on the foundation that Mindy and her team had built for us both. That included training and preparing ourselves for going into action.

Gotham as a city was falling apart: The Mayor was missing, the Deputy Mayor was dead and the GCPD had been attacked in their own building. The new GCPD Captain, Nathaniel Barnes, seemed determined to clean up the GCPD with the help of our good friend, Detective James Gordon.

The sooner we could get out onto the streets the better

* * *

 ** _Three weeks later  
Monday evening_**

 ** _Beneath Wayne Manor_**

I was very hesitant as I saw the combat suit which had been very neatly laid out on the bed.

I stripped off and pulled on a pair of fresh black knickers and a black sports bra. As Mindy and Chloe had advised, I also pulled on a thin black t-shirt. The main combat suit was black and in two pieces. The bottom half was a pair of what looked like tight trousers, however, I knew that they were made from a cutting-edge flexible composite armour with padding. I pulled on the trousers, which hugged my figure perfectly, I was pleased to see. The zip-up jacket was made of the same material as the trousers. Once I had zipped it up, I looked at myself in the full-length mirror.

Wow! I was impressed and I liked what I saw.

Next, I pulled on the awesome-looking high-heeled boots, which came up my legs as far as my thighs and fitted tightly. The soles were not thick, but they were not exactly thin, either. They were stab resistant and very light to wear. In the top of each boot, there were slots for a pair of sleek, titanium throwing knives.

Around my waist, I next secured a black utility belt that attached to the top and bottom sections of the combat suit. The metalwork on the belt was silver in colour and made of titanium. Around the belt were various pouches, mostly empty at that point. At the back of the belt was the communications equipment and on my right I attached a holster that hung from the belt and secured at the bottom to my right thigh. In the holster would be a SIG Sauer P250 Compact Threaded Barrel pistol.

I pulled on a pair of black gauntlets that passed up my arms to just above my elbows. They had protected palms to allow me to grab hold of blades without injury. Finally came the headgear that would protect both my head and my identity.

Mindy had given me the choice of a simple domino style mask or a full cowl type mask. For the moment, I had decided on a mask that covered my entire head. It was black and had cat like ears in the relevant place. The communications equipment was built into the mask, which came down to just below the bridge of my nose.

Once I was dressed, I made my way down to the armoury.

* * *

I was feeling very excited.

It was going to be a huge step for me, putting on that suit. It looked heavy and I knew that it would be, but Dave had promised me that I would be able to cope with the weight. I pulled on the undersuit over a pair of black shorts and a black t-shirt. The undersuit was padded and made up of a composite material. On top of this undersuit came my armour, which was made up of interconnecting sections.

The primary section of armour covered my torso from the neck and extended down to my hips, lower back and groin. It was in one piece that wrapped around my body. Over the top of this was heavier armour that protected my upper back, shoulders, upper arms and chest. My arms were protected with armour that extended down to my elbows and my gauntlets. I pulled on boots that came up my legs to just below my knees and connected with the armour which protected my knees. That armour extended up my thighs to join with the upper armour.

The entire suit was black, except for the utility belt, which was a gold colour and held my weapons and communications equipment. On my head, I wore an all-encompassing cowl that had bat-like ears from which only my mouth and lower jaw was visible. To finish off the suit, I wore a long black cloak that was made from a lightweight, composite material that could withstand bullets. On my forearms, over the gauntlets, I had lethal metal blades, which would cut through almost anything.

I was amazed at what I saw as I looked into the full-length mirror. I heard the door open in the room next to mine and I knew that Selina would be heading for the armoury to collect her weapons.

I opened the door and followed my partner.

* * *

I turned at the top of the stairs.

Behind me came an imposing form which strode confidently down the corridor towards me.

"You look good, Bruce..."

"So do you – I mean you are hot!"

I was glad that the cowl covered most of my blushing.

..._...

"Well, I'll be..." Alfred began as we both made our way into the armoury from the vehicle park.

He seemed impressed. I gave him a brief twirl so he could see everything.

"I am impressed, Miss Selina... Very impressed. You too, Master Bruce!"

Alfred passed over our weapons. We would both use the same pistol; despite Bruce's misgivings about firearms, he attached the holster to his belt and after he had checked the pistol, he inserted a loaded magazine and then stowed the weapon into the holster.

I completed the same safety checks under Alfred's eagle eyes and received an approving nod. We both placed additional, loaded magazines into the relevant pouches on our belts. Next, came the knives; we each carried a selection. We checked out communications between ourselves and then to Alfred who held a portable radio.

"I hear you both, too," Fox called out from his control centre under Wayne Tower in the centre of Gotham.

* * *

"Batman, Catwoman – your rides..."

"Thank you, Alfred," Batman replied as they both strode towards their machines.

The identical, all-black Suzuki GSX650F motorcycles were heavily customised with communications and tracking equipment, which included forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and night-vision (NV) capability. Enhanced exhaust silencers were fitted which allowed the 650cc motorcycles to operate almost silently when required. The tyres were puncture proof and dual-purpose.

Each vigilante wore a custom full-face motorcycle helmet in black. The darkened visor hid a full-colour, HD heads-up-display (HUD) which would also connect to and display the motorcycles FLIR and NV systems as required. Each motorcycle had other tricks under the composite armoured body.

I watched with trepidation as they mounted the machines, started the engines and with a brief wave from Batman, they both accelerated down the tunnel towards Thunder Quarry.

Gotham was in for a rude surprise.


	2. Meeting Gotham

**_Monday, November 16th 2015  
That night_**

 ** _Gotham_**

It felt strange.

We were alone.

No backup from Hit Girl or Kick-Ass.

Just Gotham and us...

Was I shitting myself?

Fuck, yeah!

I looked over at Batman as we rode through the darkness and towards hell where Gotham was about to meet its new guardians. We decided to start in Uptown. After we passed through the Palisades, we crossed over Queens Bridge and continues on through West Village.

Naturally, we attracted quite a lot of attention from both the other road users and pedestrians alike. We had not seen any GCPD presence, which was both a surprise and worrying at the same time. We had talked between ourselves before we had left the cave and I had suggested some places where we might find some easy action.

As we cruised down the street, the heavens opened and the rain was quickly bouncing on the blacktop and then back into the air again. It was getting difficult to see but then suddenly the visors of our helmets turned a transparent light blue and the road ahead re-appeared before us in a blue-grey haze on the visor. I could see pedestrians and vehicles alike as they were highlighted by the combined forward looking infrared and night-vision system.

We turned right, down a dark and very wet alleyway.

* * *

As I pulled up beside Catwoman, I looked around the alleyway.

It was just the sort of place that my girl would have hung out in, during her previous life. My girl? If only! I pulled off my helmet and climbed off my motorcycle.

"We have arrived!" Catwoman stated with a flourish as she swung her long left leg over the motorcycle.

"Arrived, where?"

"Somewhere we can have some fun..."

I followed my partner ever further into the rabbit warren of alleyways.

* * *

"This," I announced proudly," is one of Penguin's 'cash houses'. He has hundreds of thousands of bucks going through the place on an average evening."

I tensed as I saw Batman tense up.

"You want to steal the money? You promised me that you were done with a life of crime."

I detected the disappointment in Batman's voice and I turned to face him.

"I _am_ done with a life of crime, Batman; I just want Penguin to hurt and hurt bad..."

"Sorry; I trust you – let's have fun – or as somebody once said, 'what's the point?'"

I led us towards the building in question. The door was unguarded, but that was the point – an obvious guard, was just that, obvious, and it told people that there was something _worth_ guarding, and therefore worth stealing, inside. Above the door, there was a surveillance camera. Batman reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a small circular device that was a little larger than a quarter, but about five times as thick. The back of it consisted of a soft substance protected by a plastic cover while the front of the device had a button. Batman pressed the button and pulled off the plastic cover. The soft substance expanded to a size a little bigger than a golf ball which hid the button. He then threw the device towards the surveillance camera where it stuck to the wall about six-inches from the camera.

"Camera deactivated," Batman commented.

The compact device, another Fox invention, was a short range electronic jammer that would shut down the camera for about two minutes. Whoever was monitoring the camera would now blind to our approach.

Despite that, we advanced stealthily.

* * *

 ** _Inside the Cash House_**

The man stared at the monitor before him that had just turned to snow from the swirling rain that had preceded it.

He turned the monitor off and back on again. Then he hit it hard with his hand. Still snow!

"Fucking cheap pile of shit!" He commented and went back to his magazine.

Minutes later a shadow passed across his magazine and he looked up in annoyance.

"Get out of the fucking light..."

"I apologise..." A deep, electronically enhanced voice growled.

The man stiffened and he slowly turned his head as he gazed up at the black shadowy form that hovered above him. Then he fell backwards, over the chair, in his haste to stand up. As he looked up, he saw another black form – this one shorter, thinner and with obvious breasts. The man was then hauled out of his thoughts as the woman pointed a silenced pistol at his head.

"Night, night!" The woman said with a smile.

The gun was knocked away by the other form. "No guns, no killing!"

"You gotta be kidding me! Where's the fun in that?" The woman demanded.

The large black clad vigilante shrugged and the last thing the man saw was a black armoured fist as it moved fast towards his face.

* * *

I would be having some serious words with my partner when we got back to the Manor.

But for the moment, I led the way down a short passageway and then into a large open warehouse where we silently crossed the open space while keeping to the shadows. We could hear a lot of noise which seemed to come from a far corner of the warehouse. As we got closer, we could see a room that had been built in one corner.

There were twelve men visible, eight of whom were sitting at tables loaded with bundles upon bundles of dollar bills and each table had a bill-counting machine. The noise level was steady and easily masked our approach. I looked at Catwoman and then pointed at the power switch on the wall. She smirked and made her way over to it.

"Now!" I growled and Catwoman cut the power to the warehouse.

There were shouts as everything suddenly went dark and the counting machines fell silent. I moved into the room silently and I stopped roughly in the centre, between the two parallel rows of desks.

"Let there be light..." I whispered, and the lights came back on. "Good evening, my little penguins!"

All movement and sound stopped until one man snapped out of his astonishment at finding an armoured vigilante standing in their midst.

"Fuck!"

The man was quick; he sent three rounds into my heavy chest armour which pushed me backwards. Crap, those rounds hurt!

I drew a pair of bat-blades from my belt and I deftly flicked them towards the man; both embedded themselves into his chest and he yelled out in pain then dropped his pistol in shock. I moved fast and drove an armoured fist into his face. He fell to the ground as blood sprayed into the air from his destroyed nose. I caught sight of another man on my right as he approached with my elbow, I smashed his nose. He fell backwards and tipped over a table which sent high denomination bills flying into the air.

I saw Catwoman digging in herself, she used her long legs and high-heels to devastating effect. There was chaos as men and bullets flew seemed to fly in all directions. Everything went well, until Catwoman was struck in the back with the butt of a pistol and she went down to one knee. The same attacker then tried to bring the pistol downwards onto her head.

I seized a counting machine from a table and threw it towards the man.

* * *

My back was _so_ painful.

I tried to get up, off my knee, but I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see a reversed pistol coming down towards my head. I fell off to one side, just as my attacker's head seemed to explode when what looked like a counting machine smashed into it. I escaped both the errant hunk of metal and the falling body.

I looked over at Batman who nodded as he kicked a man into the wall where the impact knocked him senseless. Batman seemed annoyed – was it something I had said? Another cunt crashed into the wall and this time he left a red smear – cool!

Once the last man was put down, we dragged them all outside into the rain before we set fire to the thousands of dollars inside the building. As the fire quickly took hold, we ran towards our motorcycles and headed further into Gotham.

I would have paid to see Penguin's face when he found out about his new cash flow problem!

* * *

 ** _An hour later  
Central Gotham_**

The rain had begun to ease as we headed deeper into Gotham.

Our combat suits kept us perfectly dry, except for the sweat! We stopped, not far from Wayne Tower, and hid our motorcycles before we walked around some of the darkened alleyways and looked for trouble. Instead of trouble, though, we found a friend.

I walked up behind the man, not bothering to cover my approach. I was eager to see his response to our being active in Gotham. The man turned as I got closer and after he stared at me for a few seconds, he grinned.

"Well hello, Cat – err Catwoman."

"Hey, Detective. You miss me?"


	3. The Fox

**_Monday, November 16th 2015  
That night_**

 ** _Central Gotham_**

 _"Hey, Detective. You miss me?"_

"I did – the place has been kind of quiet without you!"

I smiled at the outrageous lie.

"Batman?" Detective Gordon asked as he looked at Batman/Bruce Wayne.

"Catchy," Batman growled.

"Those voices are . . . interesting!"

"We must protect ourselves..."

Detective Gordon looked down at the ground for a moment.

"I suppose you must..."

As he looked up, he found that he was alone.

"I hope they're not going to get in the habit of vanishing like that."

* * *

 ** _Beneath Wayne Manor_**

"A good evening, was it?"

"Yes, Alfred, it was – eventful too," I replied as I climbed off my motorcycle and removed my helmet.

"Painful, too!" Cat added as she did the same.

"Any injuries?" Alfred asked casually.

"Bruises, only..."

..._...

We both returned our weapons to the armoury and then headed for our bedrooms to remove the body armour.

"Bruce, I'm sorry – I went too far."

"Yes, you did – but I can't fault you for that, nevertheless, we're both still alive and Penguin is going to be slightly pissed!"

"Thanks – I enjoyed tonight and I enjoyed spending the time with you."

"It was good, Catwoman – I enjoyed spending tonight with you, too."

* * *

 ** _Later that night_**

 ** _Somewhere across Gotham_**

"Gentlemen, ladies, others – what happened?"

There was general muttering around the table.

"So none of you know anything?" Penguin said savagely. "I find that hard to believe!"

More muttering, but much less than before.

"Someone knows – and I will find them..."

There was an almost audible muttering from one reprobate down the table.

"Care to speak louder!" Penguin screamed.

"Vigilantes."

"Vigilantes!"

"Yes, Boss – they wore black – they attacked the counting house and..."

"I thought they left Gotham – that Hit Girl, she left with her people when Fish died. No Vigilantes have been sighted for weeks!"

"They just appeared, Boss, and they're good..."

"Good! _Good_!"

Penguin paused for a moment and he settled his emotions.

"I want them found, I want to know who they are, I want them dead, I want them buried."

"Yes, Boss..."

"I want it _NOW_!"

* * *

 ** _Three weeks later  
Saturday, December 5th 2015  
That night_**

We were out in the City again just as we were several times a week.

Things were different though. There were rumours about us – mostly they were wildly wrong but even the _wrong_ rumours suited our purposes. We were made out to be much worse than we actually were; we liked that!

We were, it seemed, making a difference.

* * *

 ** _Forty stories up_**

The wind was chilly on the dark roof top.

Something clanged nearby.

"What was that?" Eddie asked as he tensed up. "Let's beat it, man. I don't like being up here."

"What, scared of heights?" Nick enquired. "It's nothing, Eddie."

"I dunno, man. After what happened to Johnny Gobs..."

"Look, Johnny Gobs got ripped and walked off a roof top, all right? No big loss."

"That ain't what I heard. That ain't what I heard at all..." Eddie replied. "I heard the bat got him."

"Gimme a break, will you? Shut up..."

"Five stories, straight down. There was no blood in the body."

"No shit. It was all over the pavement."

Eddie was worried. His gut worried him and something tingled at the base of his spine.

"There was _no_ blood, man. My brother says... All the bad things you done... They come back and haunt you..."

"Listen to this," Nick replied, exasperated. "How old are you? There ain't no bat."

"My brother's a priest, man."

"No wonder you're such a chickenshit. Now shut up! There – ain't – no – bat!"

"You shouldn'ta turned the gun on that kid, man. You shouldn'ta..."

"Do you want this money or don't you? Now shut up! _Shut up_..."

Both men froze at the sound of boots on gravel. A shadow fell over them and they both shuddered at the sight. Neither wanted to turn around as the shadow grew behind them. Something then _flew_ over them before it touched down and faced them. It was hideous and it was black, the cloak flared out momentarily and blocked out the moon.

Nick instinctively grabbed for his gun and he sent two slugs into the menacing figure; it went down hard.

"I'm getting' outta here!" Nick exclaimed as he turned away.

"Holy, fuck!" Eddie breathed.

"Huh?" Nick turned back and then he froze.

It arose from the roof, nightmarish as it rose steadily – the black spectre lived.

"That was not very nice!" A voice growled from behind them both.

They span around to find yet another black spectre facing them, then they only saw blackness as a boot and then a gauntlet knocked them unconscious.

"You went and got yourself shot again!" Catwoman groused as she shook her head.

"Quit your moaning, woman!" Batman groaned but he rubbed his chest just the same.

* * *

 ** _Uptown  
Schiller Street and Hicks Avenue_**

"Jesus Christ!"

"Evening, Detective!"

"You are going to be the death of me, Batman; can't you err knock or maybe we should put a bell on you two!"

"Two men, top of 149, they collapsed on the roof..."

I looked in the direction of 149 and then back...

At nothing...

I just shook my head and climbed into my car.

"What was that?" Bullock asked as he took another bite out of his very greasy looking burrito.

"Just the delivery boy..."

* * *

 ** _An hour later_**

We had just crossed over Webb Bridge from Uptown to Downtown when Fox called.

"Continue down Montgomery and then take a right onto Gate Boulevard."

I looked over at Catwoman who just shrugged.

"On our way!"

"Take a left onto 5th and then a hard right into the parking lot."

We obeyed.

* * *

 ** _Wayne Tower_**

As we entered the subterranean parking lot, all the lights went out and that included the emergency lights. Our helmet visors instantly went to the combined FLIR/NV setting and we were able to see where we were going as we descended six levels.

"Keep it coming...," The voice in my ear prompted. "Head for that large number '6' on the wall – keep your speed up…"

As we approached the wall, it moved smartly to the side and we found ourselves descending a tight, circular ramp, in my rear view mirror I saw the wall return to its proper place and then lights clicked on which illuminated the ramp.

Seconds later, we found ourselves in a large underground space that seemed to go on forever. I saw a man wave us over and then indicate a place for us both to park.

* * *

 ** _Below Wayne Tower_**

We were met by Fox and escorted through his 'layer'.

I stopped beside a table that had a combat suit arranged on it. The combat suit was red and blue.

"Whose is that?" Cat asked.

"It's for a new member of Mindy's team..."

"A young girl?" Cat persisted as she took in the skirt which was attached to the trousers. "A very _short_ , young girl!"

"Mindy places the orders; I build 'em."

We followed Fox and we took in everything around us. There was a lot of fancy kit all over the place.

"Wow – nice wheels!" Cat exclaimed as we approached three brand new motorcycles.

"New machines, almost ready for Chicago," Fox explained.

The three machines were each very different. Firstly, there was a Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS machine in Navy Blue. The licence plate read, ' **SHADOW** '. Next, there was a Yamaha Super Tenere in Black and Light Blue, with the licence plate ' **MIST** '. Finally, there was a large machine in Tan with the licence plate ' **JACKAL** '. That last machine was a Triumph Tiger 800 ABS and was obviously a British machine. All three motorcycles were fitted with Continental TKC-80 Twinduro tyres.

"Very nice!" I commented.

..._...

We moved on and Fox stopped beside a work bench. However, something caught my eye. It was a black device and there was a cable leading from it to a plastic box. The plastic box had a red button.

I knew I shouldn't, but...

* * *

A burst of automatic gunfire ripped out across the room.

Catwoman screamed and jumped back from the device that was obviously some sort of machine gun. Fox chuckled and he walked over to the shocked vigilante.

"Maybe you should read the instructions first?" Fox commented.

"Yeah, err sorry..."

"Can't you control yourself?" I laughed. "I can't take you anywhere!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Anyway!" Fox interrupted. "I called you both down here to see how you are getting on. Everything working correctly?"

"Perfectly, thanks..." I replied.

Catwoman nodded her agreement.

"I have some new equipment in the works but nothing ready right now. I understand you've been shot, young man – let me see the suit."

Fox took a moment to examine where the bullets had hit my suit.

"Looking good; no damage – I am good at what I do...! I notice that while _he_ has been shot several times over the past month; you, young lady, have not."

"I move too fast! Besides, the criminals think that Batman cannot die and bullets just bounce off of him."

"Good to a point, but they will just keep using bigger rounds until they find something that _will_ kill him...!"

Catwoman grimaced at that.

"Point taken...!"

"Gotham is a bad place and escalation is expected but we must keep in control of it... That way _we_ control the criminals. You have both done well over the past month – forty-seven behind bars; Gordon must be pleased!"

"Nine dead, though..." I conceded.

"It happens, young man; I know you don't like that side of being a vigilante but sometimes you have to break a few eggs..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know; Alfred says the same thing."

"Anyway, you two had better be heading, and you both have fun out there!"

* * *

 ** _The following day  
Sunday_**

After a leisurely breakfast and a short sparring session, we lazed in the pool.

The warm water eased our aching muscles and our bruised bodies. We were closer than we ever were... It was amazing to look back to when I was just a simple street rat and then forward to the present where I was living in a billionaire's mansion and running around what had to be the country's most dangerous city, putting down criminal scum!

I drifted around in the water and watched as Bruce climbed out and walked over to the diving board. His body had changed; it was no longer thin and boring – he had muscle structure and his abs... Okay, I fancied the pants off him – who wouldn't; he was a billionaire... We spent almost every minute of every day together, and some nights – not in _that_ way, either!

My life was perfect: I had friends, I had a home, I also kind of had a job too.

"You just going to stare at me?" Bruce called out with a smirk and I felt myself blushing.

* * *

I had to admit that despite my limited knowledge about girls, she was perfect.

Her body was well toned, thanks to her acrobatic nature. Cat tended not to show herself off and she was wearing a one-piece swimsuit – she refused to wear a bikini! I loved spending time with her; I had spent so many years as an only child, but now, I had a friend and not just a friend, a true companion.

I dived off the board into the water and came up beside Cat.

"You two having fun?"

I looked up to see a grinning Alfred.

"Always, Alfred!" Cat replied for us both.

"Will you be going _out_ , tonight, Master Bruce?"

"I think we might..." I replied as I looked over at Cat and she nodded.

"Yes, eight o'clock departure, I think, Alfred."

"Of course, Master Bruce."

* * *

 ** _That night_**

The two motorcycle engines roared to life.

I nodded towards Alfred as he stood a short distance away, looking just as anxious as he usually did when we were headed out into danger.

"Here we go again!" Catwoman commented with a grin as she kicked her machine into gear.

"Yes, we do!" I replied as I dropped my own motorcycle into gear and we both accelerated into the tunnel.

The outer door opened and we thundered out into the dark night. We sped towards the distant Gotham skyline and the cesspit of criminal scum that operated within it.


	4. The Revenge of Penguin

**_A little over a week later  
Tuesday, December 15th 2015_**

Penguin's mood was like a growing storm.

He was about to unleash his temper on Gotham with every ounce of ferocity that the angry little man could muster. Legions of his newly appropriated minions were being organised – Penguin might have his flaws, but organisation was not one of them. He could organise, he could plan and he could scheme.

The fact that some of his schemes failed was not usually due to the planning; it was often due to the poor execution by his dumb minions!

"I will get that costumed freak and he will pay; his little bitch, too!"

There was general agreement from his senior minions as they listened to their bosses' plans for eradicating Gotham's current bat and cat problem.

* * *

 ** _Gotham Police Headquarters_**

"Gordon!"

Detective Gordon turned toward his boss, Captain Barnes. He seemed somewhat more annoyed than usual.

"What is this shit that I've been hearing? Bats? Cats?"

"Rumours, Captain – this _is_ Gotham!"

"Yes, but there have been some very credible sightings, from some very credible criminals."

"Err, 'credible criminals', Captain?" Detective Bullock inquired.

"You know what I mean, Bullock!" Captain Barnes replied. "No one takes the law into their own hands in _my_ City!"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

 ** _Half an hour later_**

 ** _Midtown  
East Tulip Street_**

"Ooh, more vigilantes!"

"Good evening, detective!"

"So _you_ must be 'The Bat'," Detective Bullock continued.

"That would be incorrect..." the black form announced.

" _He_ , is Batman!" The slender female vigilante announced. " _I_ , am Catwoman!"

"Is that so?" Bullock enquired rhetorically.

"Our Boss is _not_ your biggest fan, to put it mildly!" Detective Gordon said. "However, you two seem to have made quite an impact, in a very short space of time."

"We do what we can!" Catwoman replied with a big grin.

"God, she is _so_ sure of herself!" Bullock laughed. "Reminds me of somebody else... Hey, where'd they both go?"

"They do that – you get used to it..."

* * *

"You're enjoying winding them up, aren't you?"

"Of course, Batman; it makes this all so much more fun..."

"It's not supposed to be fun, Catwoman; it's supposed to be serious..."

"Aw, come on; stop being so damn serious and enjoy life. This crap is dangerous, so you gotta get some enjoyment out of it, too.

"I suppose..."

"Come on, let's _bat_ on!"

"Funny, very funny..."

..._...

We headed over Starr Bridge and into Uptown on our motorcycles. I loved the wary glances that we received as we went past – my cloak billowed behind me as we rode. Catwoman attracted many glances – mainly from the male portion of society – and I knew that she loved every glance and I could swear that I heard her _purring_ with pleasure...

We stopped outside an all-night store.

"Kitty want some milk?" I quipped and Catwoman grinned.

"I _am_ thirsty..."

With that, we both climbed off our machines and headed toward the store.

* * *

 ** _Senji Street 7-11_**

The store's owner laughed raucously at the TV as his wife counted that night's takings.

A man walked towards the till at the far end of the store and the lady smoothly swept the bills which she had been counting into the drawer and closed it quickly. The man threw a magazine onto the counter.

"Will there be anything else, sir?" The lady asked as she placed the magazine into a paper bag.

The man looked around shiftily for a moment before he replied.

"Yeah . . . empty the register and put the money in the bag..."

"Excuse me?" The lady asked and her husband turned away from the TV.

"I said give me your money . . . and all of it . . . and don't fuck with me!" The man yelled as he pulled a submachine gun from under his knee-length coat. "Now move! Open the safe, pops... Open the goddamn safe."

"We don't have a safe..." the owner replied.

"Shit . . . there's the goddamn safe, you son of a bitch!" The man yelled as he kicked away some cans of beer that had concealed the safe. "Stop stalling, man – I'll count to three and you better open that son of a bitch..."

The lady at the till stuffed bills into the paper bag and stabbed the silent alarm button to one side of the till.

"Come on! Come on!" The man yelled as he brandished the submachine gun and then turned to aim at the lady. "I'm gonna blow her brains out..."

The owner stepped forwards.

"I'll open the safe..."

"Good, boy..."

As the owner span the dial, the man became increasingly impatient.

"Come on – you'd better open that on the count of three... One . . . Two . . . "

* * *

I pulled open the door and held it open for Catwoman.

"Always the gentleman, Batman," she breathed as she passed me.

I was about to reply when I took in the scene down by the till.

"Fuck me!" The man hissed.

"Drop the gun..." I ordered.

"Fuck me!"

Bullets began to fly

"Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me!" The man chanted as he fired off his rounds.

I ducked and dived forwards as Catwoman moved away from me and flanked the man with the gun. He saw Catwoman at the last moment, just as her boot caught him in the side of the head and he flew into a small fridge. Catwoman stepped around the man's legs and grabbed a half-pint carton of milk.

"Can I buy this?" She asked the owner as if nothing had happened.

"It's yours, honey," the lady replied.

* * *

 ** _Later that night_**

 ** _Beneath Wayne Manor_**

"Good evening, sir, madam; I'm glad you are both back safely. A late supper will be ready in forty minutes."

"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce replied as he pulled off his mask.

"Yes, thank you, Alfred," Selina added.

"Oh, Master Bruce?"

"Yes, Alfred?"

"A shower might be a good idea, sir..."

"That bad?" Bruce asked Selina.

Alfred chuckled as he headed towards the stone staircase.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Selina replied with a grin.

"You're not exactly a rose garden, either."

* * *

 ** _The Bat Cave_**

The hot water soothed my aches and pains and brought me back to life.

I barely registered the sound of the door to the bathroom as it opened and gently closed. But I did register the cold blast as the shower curtain was pulled back.

"Hi, Bruce!"

I quickly covered myself with my hands as Cat just stared at me.

"I locked the door..." I growled as I tried to cover my embarrassment.

Then to my surprise the completely naked Cat cocked her hips to one side and placed her hands on them. The patronising look I received was almost missed as I took in her awesome body and I very nearly missed her response.

"No lock can defeat _me_!" she replied indignantly.

I had always known that Cat was brazen but damn! I had also often wondered what was beneath her swimsuit and to be honest, I had never thought that I would _ever_ find out...

* * *

I had been wanting to try something for weeks but I had been afraid of destroying what trust we had built up between one another. The street-rat inside of me had encouraged me to make an advance on Bruce but I had willed those emotions to subside, until now.

As I stood there, with my hands on my bare hips, I could see Bruce's eyes as they darted around my body – he seemed stunned by my complete and total exposure. Mind you, by the heat building up in my face I seemed to have stunned myself...

Thanks to my athletic activity, my body was slim and I had a perfect set of abs that I thought looked awesome and I knew that Bruce enjoyed looking at them when I trained in just a pair of shorts and a sports bra. Talking of the bra, it didn't hold all that much and I wished that I had more but again, I had often seen Bruce looking at my pair of 32As. Now, he was focussed on them and I felt my nipples tingle.

His eyes moved down my body before they stopped and I bit my lip as he stared at my vulva.

"You keep it trimmed?"

"Yeah, I find a lot of hair gets in the way and I hate it when I sweat down there... I never remove all of it; I just keep it short. You like it?"

"Yeah..."

I took a deep breath and I stepped into the shower.

* * *

Oh, wow...

I had a naked girl in the shower and . . . oh, what the hell... I slowly removed my hands from between my legs and my face got really hot. Not surprisingly, Cat's awesome body had had the expected effect on me.

"Oh, wow..." Cat murmured as she stared at my very stiff... She giggled.

"Is it that bad?"

"No; it's not bad . . . can I...?"

Cat seemed very nervous as she reached out her hand – I started to turn away but I forced myself to stop and I allowed Cat to touch me as she very gently took a hold of me.

"Warm and very soft," she murmured. "But very hard, too..."

"You've never touched one before?"

"No – never; out on the streets it was a good way to get raped."

"May I...?"

"Of course, Bruce, I am all yours..." Cat grinned and I tentatively reached out towards her.

I had touched her skin before and it was silky smooth. But touching skin that I had never before laid my eyes on was very different and it gave me an electric feeling to touch her. I gently traced my fingers around her left breast and then with shaking fingers, I touched her nipple – she jjumped and squealed at my touch.

..._...

Careful, Bruce, don't ruin it – you are only thirteen... To be honest, I was scared about going to the 'next level' – especially considering that I had only _just_ got to 'this level'... For me, being a boy, it was a dream come true – Selina was the perfect girl. I had never seen a _real_ naked girl before – those websites did not count... Her skin was perfect and I found her breasts tantalising – they weren't huge but their size suited her body and they were very soft.

For now, I decided that the area between her legs was off limits – not because I did not want to go down there; I did – it was just that down there worried me and what it might lead to.

* * *

 ** _The Kitchen_**

Alfred had a disapproving look on his face as we both dashed into the kitchen, fifteen minutes late...

"You two have fun...?"

"I have no idea _what_ you are talking about, Alfred..." Bruce responded bravely.

"Of _course_ , Master Bruce..." Alfred replied as he placed two plates onto the table. "I just didn't think it was time for some little Bruces or little Selinas..."

I was left with my mouth hanging open in shock and what had to be a very red face. I knew that Alfred liked to speak his mind, especially recently, but...

Cat didn't exactly help the situation as she giggled and blushed wildly.

* * *

I had no problem with the two of them 'getting together', so long as they stayed disconnected so to speak.

Both youngsters had demons in their lives and now they both needed each other. It was nice to hear laughter and giggling in the house again. I was also very pleased that young Master Bruce had a companion. Miss Selina had taken some getting used to but after Mindy and her troop, I could cope with anything!

As I watched them, they were whispering in a conspiratorial fashion and Bruce would occasionally peer up at me and then quickly look away. Maybe I should keep a closer eye on the both of them...


	5. The GCPD

**_Four days later  
Saturday, December 19th 2015_**

 ** _Wayne Manor_**

Ever since my parents had died, Christmas had been difficult for me.

Now, though, it would not just be myself and Alfred – there would be three of us and I was very much looking forward to spending some time with Selina. I had spent a few minutes on the phone with Mindy that morning, as it was the wedding of Marcus and Paige. Apparently, Mindy was very nervous! I wished her good luck and I hoped that she would enjoy herself.

After putting the phone down, I sat on the couch in my father's study and I listened to Alfred as he happily whistled Christmas tunes to himself. Then, totally out of the blue and in her own typical fashion, Cat ran in and threw a newspaper at me – she was grinning.

"Page two – mid-way down."

I opened the paper.

 ** _DRIVE-BY HELL_** _  
Fourteen Dead_

It was typically, Gotham: fourteen people were dead and the news covering the event only rated page two! I read on – apparently, the blame was being put onto the man of the moment who had styled himself: The Penguin.

"Page eight – bottom right."

I switched pages quickly – Cat was getting impatient.

 ** _GOTHAM VIGILANTES_** _  
GCPD Captain Nathaniel Barnes announced a war on vigilantism today. 'People taking  
the law into their own hands, will not be tolerated!' Captain Barnes announced today.  
'The Police will react with force against anybody actively taking the law into their own  
hands. The so-called Batman and his partner, Catwoman, are breaking the law; they  
will face justice. There is only one crime fighting organisation in Gotham – the GCPD!'_

"As if our job wasn't hard enough – now the GCPD are going to be after us!" Cat growled as she sat down heavily beside me.

"Mindy faced the same trouble in Chicago for a while," I replied. "We just need to show that we can take down the criminals and protect the citizens of this city. Then, we can win the support of the people."

"Oh, Bruce, you always see the good in everything..." Cat laughed as she kissed me on the cheek.

* * *

 ** _That evening_**

 ** _Gotham_**

Captain Barnes had _not_ been exaggerating!

We had been in Midtown about three seconds before we heard sirens and what a surprise? Two GCPD units were following us – lights and sirens flashing and screaming. We accelerated east, along Gate Boulevard where we passed by Wayne Tower at speed.

"The speed limits are there for vigilantes too; you know..." Lucius Fox said casually over the comms.

"Bit busy, Lucius," Batman responded...

"So, I see..."

"Got anything on these machines to help us?" Catwoman enquired as they passed over Montgomery Avenue and narrowly avoided several pedestrians.

"There might be..." Lucius suggested.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Catwoman growled. " _Please!_ "

"Third red button from the top..."

Catwoman glanced down at a set of red buttons which were mounted towards the front of the gas tank – there were four in a vertical line and none were marked. She pressed the third button from the top... Nothing happened, but the red button was now blinking before it lit up solid red. Catwoman pressed it again and the light went out . . . and so did a few other lights, too...

"What the..." Batman breathed as the two GCPD units seemed to slow down as their headlights went out.

Three other cars were affected as well, plus the lights in a nearby bus shelter failed.

"Awesome!" Catwoman commented.

* * *

We took a hard right on Moore Avenue and headed south.

At East 14th Street, we took an easy right and then another left onto Amsterdam Avenue.

"You sure about this?"

"Yes, Catwoman, we are headed for The Narrows."

"You got real bats in your belfry?"

I laughed. No matter what anybody said about my partner, she was not stupid – far from it. Yes, we were headed into the deepest, darkest, part of Gotham. The Narrows was the home of everything bad in Gotham, including the Arkham Asylum.

We crossed over one of the six bridges and quickly came to a halt.

* * *

As we climbed off our motorcycles, we turned towards a group of 'cunts', as Hit Girl would call them.

"Well, looky here . . . it's the Batman and his little bitch..."

"Catwoman, to you..." Catwoman interjected.

"Slutty bitch, you mean – I can give you something to get your claws into..."

Catwoman rolled her eyes as she shifted to a fighting stance.

"I like a bit of meat for my claws to dig into. You – well, let's just say I don't have any use for such tiny excuses for genitals as yours..."

The man glared as his mates exploded into laughter. I sensed the movement before he became a threat. The unfortunate individual hit the cracked blacktop before he even realised that Catwoman had moved. She followed through with her kick and came around to face the other men.

"It's not nice to creep up on a lady..." Catwoman growled good-naturedly. "Now, where were we?"

"I think these gentlemen need to be taught a lesson in how to treat their betters," Batman breathed.

"You . . . our betters?" a man spat.

"Get the costumed freaks!" another yelled and the fighting began.

* * *

The first man received the heel of my left boot in his face.

The second blocked the initial blow from Batman, but he was very quickly put down by the second armoured fist as it struck the man's head very hard. It was quite a violent free for all. We must have been fighting about eight men, it was difficult to keep track of them all in all the confusion. But I was in my element, as it were. I could feel the adrenalin as it flowed through my veins. The feeling of immortality urged me on and on.

The men seemed to enjoy being beaten to a pulp. I could not comprehend how or why they tolerated the kicking that we dealt out, but then what normal people would live in The Narrows? The fight was not all one-sided, unfortunately – I received more than a few punches and kicks. Yet again, I was very thankful for my armoured suit. The men were not so fortunate, they sported ordinary clothes and they quickly found out the hard way how good my armour was.

"Catwoman, behind you!" Batman called out.

..._...

I span just as a large knife plunged down into my chest – or at least that was the cunt's _intended_ destination for the blade. Instead, the tip of the blade penetrated a mere fraction of a millimetre. The cunt looked stunned as I wrapped my left hand around the sharp blade and gripped it tightly. He tried to yank it away from me, but I refused to let go. I smiled at him and then I head-butted the cunt in the temple. He dropped to the ground.

Another cunt attacked with a knife and I fended off his blade with my recently appropriated one. I had no idea why, but I actually enjoyed knife fights. The man was good, but not good enough. I slit his cheek open, right down to the bone. He yelled out at the pain but he ignored the blood that streamed down his face and he pushed forwards. I kicked out and struck him in the stomach.

He doubled over and I brought the pommel of the knife down onto his head.

* * *

To be honest, the fight was enjoyable, from a warped point of view.

Catwoman seemed to be having fun, apart from a close shave with a knife, but she quite literally handled that pretty well. Just when I thought that the fight might be nearing its climax, some more cunts appeared and I found myself facing off against a woman. She must have been early twenties, but she had muscles and a shaved head. She looked me up and down and then she smirked at me. She had several inches on me and quite a few pounds of muscle too.

"You'd never hit a girl," she laughed.

I grinned back.

"No," I replied. "But you're not exactly a girl."

Before her scowl had fully formed, I slugged her across the face with my right fist and then kicked her hard in the chest. She fell backwards, but she was still full of fight and now she was pissed. She jumped back to her feet and I braced myself for her onslaught. She kinda reminded me of Cat when she was in a bad mood _and_ on her period – a raging psychopath in other words.

I fended off each attack. She used her fists and arms to great effect. I also noticed that she had some form of leather device around her lower arms and wrists. That gave her a level of protection from my own attacks. I opted to use my speed against her as she was most probably stronger than I was. I was able to duck and weave with great success, although that only seemed to annoy the Amazon as she finally got really annoyed and she pulled a large machete from a mount on her back.

I did not back down, despite her seemingly obvious advantage. She began to slash as she advanced but I kept out of the way of her very lethal blade. My gauntlets were armoured and as they extended up my lower arms, I used my lower arms to deflect the machete. Each time I deflected the machete, I kicked out and struck the woman. It was like kicking a tree, for what good it did.

I had one more trick up my sleeve and I hoped that she would not see it coming.

* * *

I finished off my cunts and turned to check on Batman.

He seemed to be playing with an enormous woman. That woman was armed with a large machete and she obviously knew how to wield it. As she brought the machete around for another attack, Batman ducked beneath the moving blade and he swung his right arm horizontally which took the three blades of the lower arm across her stomach.

The huge woman screamed and Batman rolled out of the way as blood began to seep through her ripped clothing. She dropped the machete and sank to her knees. I briefly noticed what appeared to be a section of sausage protrude from her stomach before it was quickly covered by her hands.

At the sight of their prize-fighter being felled, the remaining men seemed to fade into the darkness. I took a quick look around and we both returned to our motorcycles. Just in time too as sirens could be heard closing in on our location.

It was past time to head for home.

* * *

 ** _The following morning  
Sunday, December 20th 2015_**

 ** _Wayne Manor_**

The two kids had returned quite late, the previous evening.

I was not unduly worried as Mr Fox kept me apprised of their activities, at least once every hour. I understood that the Gotham City Police Department were now out to get them and that they had had a brief run in with said GCPD. It worried the hell out of me when they both went out. Yes, I was Master Bruce's guardian and he was my number one responsibility, but I also saw young Miss Selina as my ward, just the same.

I often wondered what Thomas and Martha would make of their son's nocturnal antics. I would hope that they might be proud of what their son was doing. I for one was very proud of how Master Bruce was behaving. Okay, it had taken a little while for Selina Kyle to grow on me but I found the girl charming – very rough around the edges in places and her table manners were appalling amongst other annoyances.

However, she and Master Bruce seemed to thrive on each other's company. Master Bruce had been alone for so long that seeing the boy with a smile on his face so much was a wonderful thing. I was more than a little concerned about the two of them falling in love and all the rest, but I trusted them both to act responsibly. While I was not a very good mind reader, I could read people and so far, Miss Selina had proved to me that Master Bruce was the number one priority in her life.

I was looking forward to Christmas for the first time since Thomas and Martha Wayne had died.

* * *

"Good afternoon, young miss!"

I hauled back the curtains and allowed the early afternoon sun to stream in the windows.

"Cats do their best work at night and they sleep during the day," came the muffled voice of Selina Kyle from the bed.

I looked over at the bed and grinned. A bare foot on the end of an equally bare leg was stuck out from under the Egyptian cotton and goose down duvet. At the top of the bed an untidy mop of dark brown hair was just visible.

"Cats may be, but even for nocturnal vigilantes, one o'clock is pushing it. The price of leading a double life, I fear."

"Is the bat awake?"

"Bats _are_ nocturnal – but, yes, the young master is 'awake' in a very loose interpretation of the word..."

With a muted scream, the fourteen-year-old girl kicked the duvet back and she swung her long legs off the side of the bed as she sat up. Miss Selina wore her usual set of dark blue pyjama shorts with a matching short-sleeved top. She got to her feet and padded across to the attached bathroom. I left the young lady to her morning ablutions and headed off downstairs to put together a late lunch.

I heard a brief feminine scream as the young miss found out that the hot water was not all that hot and I chuckled on my way down the stairs.

* * *

 ** _Fifty-five minutes later_**

The two very dishevelled looking teens entered the kitchen and almost fell into the first chairs that they came to.

Alfred looked over them both and he took in the bruises on their bodies.

"Strange injuries, a non-existent social life, these things beg the question as to what exactly does Bruce Wayne do with his time and his money."

"And what does somebody like me do, exactly?"

"Drive sports cars, date movie stars, buy things that are not for sale... who knows, Master Bruce? Mind you, you're a bit young for the driving part . . . and the dating part – young Miss Selina might have something to say about the dating part too..."

Miss Selina smiled sweetly and then she scowled. Master Bruce coloured slightly and he just glared at the plate of bacon and eggs that lay before him.

"I'll leave you two to your two o'clock in the afternoon breakfast and whatever..."


	6. Christmas in Gotham

**_Four days later  
Thursday, December 24th_**

 ** _Wayne Manor_**

It was Christmas Eve and to say that Selina was excited, was like saying that Hit Girl was sweet and innocent!

Alfred thought it was uproariously funny each time that I found myself under a conveniently placed piece of mistletoe. Selina took every advantage and the kisses, which had started as a cute peck on the cheek, were becoming longer and much wetter. It did not help that Alfred seemed to be placing mistletoe _everywhere_. Neither were his comments helping.

"Is it going to be a Frenchie next, sir?"

"Now you're getting the hang of it!"

"I think you've made him blush, young miss."

Selina enjoyed every minute – well, I had to admit, so did I... There was no way that I could deny enjoying the act of a beautiful girl kissing me. Her lips were very soft and my own tingled at each brazen contact. Her gorgeous hazel eyes were always laughing when she kissed me. The tingles that I felt between my legs grew stronger each time she kissed me. During what had to have been the twentieth kiss since the first damn mistletoe had appeared the previous afternoon, Cat began to moan as we kissed. Whereas each kiss had generally only lasted seconds, the current kiss seemed to continue on and everything around me appeared to fade away until it was just me and Cat, alone, kissing.

..._...

She wrapped her arms around me and I did the same. Our bodies moved closer together and I felt the warmth of her body against my own. We had hugged before, so the closeness was nothing new. But something felt different as we continued to kiss and hold each other close.

I had never done anything like it before. My hands began to wander and they naturally fell down to Cats firm butt – yep, she purred... She broke the kiss, but only for a moment.

"Is that a baton in your pants, or are you just pleased to see me..."

Her lips came together with my own again as I ground up against her. I slid my left hand around from the back towards the front. Her thighs were just as firm and very nicely curved. She moaned as my hand found her crotch and...

"Lunch in ten minutes, Master Bruce, Miss Selina."

We both sprang apart and I saw Selina biting her bottom lip as she fought the redness that covered her entire face. By the heat of my own face, I knew that I was probably the same colour.

"Did I disturb something?" Alfred grinned. "My apologies..."

With that, the smirking butler vanished.

* * *

 ** _The following morning  
December 25th  
Christmas Day_**

 ** _Wayne Manor_**

I awoke feeling refreshed and very ready for the day.

The previous evening had been fun as we had enjoyed each other's company. Cat and I had actually managed to fall asleep on the couch while we watched 'It's a Wonderful Life'. That scheming butler of ours had left us there with a blanket over us both. One minute he's trying to keep us apart, the next he's letting us sleep together on the couch. We had both awoken in the early hours feeling cold, despite the blanket. After an embarrassed silence, we had both headed up to our own beds.

I had barely pushed back the duvet when the door to my bedroom burst open and a whirlwind flew onto the bed with an enormous grin on her face. As usual, she looked awesome in her pyjama shorts and top. In the position she was in, I could see straight down her top – she was not wearing a bra and I began to smile. Cat noticed where I was looking.

"You have a one-track mind," she chided but she made no attempt to remove her bare breasts from my sight.

"Merry Christmas, Selina."

"Merry Christmas, Bruce..."

She lunged at me and her lips touched my own. She looked embarrassed as she pulled back.

"When you two have finished with breakfast in bed, breakfast is ready in the Dining Room," Alfred called from the door.

"Merry Christmas, Alfred!" We both called out as we scrambled off the bed.

* * *

Over breakfast, the two teenagers could not seem to able to help grinning at each other.

It had been quite a while since the house had reverberated with laughter and merriment. Although, I was not overly sure about their idea of 'merriment'!

"Any plans for the day?" I enquired.

"Maybe a workout before lunch," Miss Selina suggested.

"I'd go along with that," Master Bruce agreed and I saw the sly grin on his face.

"Miss Selina. Considering that you are now a part of the family, so to speak, I think it is time that you should be independent of young Master Bruce's wallet."

Miss Selina frowned and looked apprehensive as I passed across a small, carefully wrapped, present. I saw Master Bruce smile. I had suggested it and Bruce had agreed. I saw the young girl's eyes bulge out as she finished unwrapping, destroying might have been a better word, the present. In her hands, she held a simple but important device. She looked over at Bruce and then up at me. I saw tears in her eyes.

"You really trust me that much?"

"Of course, young Miss."

* * *

I could not believe it.

It was only a piece of plastic, but for them to give it to me was a sign that they trusted me much more than I thought. Mere months before I had been a street rat. I would steal without even thinking about it.

"You need your independence, Selina," Bruce said. "I trust you with my life."

I wiped away the tears that had run down my cheeks and I smirked up at Alfred.

"It got a limit?" I asked cheekily.

"It does, but I think I can safely say that it is much higher than anything even a female could spend."

* * *

Selina jumped up and she surprised Alfred by giving him an enormous hug and a kiss on the cheek.

I was very surprised to see Alfred blush slightly as Selina came around and sat on my lap. She kissed me and I noticed that Alfred had discretely vanished into the kitchen where I could hear him humming Christmas Carols.

"After all I've done... You're too good to me, Bruce. Thank you."

"You've had your ups and downs. Now we are a team and you watch my back. You are my life, Selina."

"Let's go pump some iron!" Selina suggested and she dived out of the Dining Room.

* * *

 ** _Beneath Wayne Manor_**

It was one of the many things that I lived for.

Cat was pumping iron. She wore just a pair of skin-tight shorts and a sports bra. I had to admit that I found it difficult to concentrate on my own training as I stole a few glances of Cat in action. I enjoyed seeing the beads of sweat as they ran down her face and continued on to her breasts. I also had a feeling that Cat enjoyed me watching her.

I continued with my push ups.

* * *

Watching Bruce as he exercised was the best thing.

Over the months he had built up some awesome muscles and a very firm set of abs. His biceps were very appealing as he did his push ups. At times, it was a struggle to concentrate on my own exercises with such an appealing sight before me. I think he enjoyed me watching him. I definitely caught him watching me.

I liked him watching me too.

* * *

You'd have thought that Selina had never eaten, the way she put the food away.

At one stage Alfred peered under the table for a moment.

"What you doing?" Cat asked in a rare break between enormous mouthfuls.

"Just wondering where all that food was going, young Miss."

I laughed as Cat grinned sheepishly but she continued to shovel copious amounts of food into her admittedly well-proportioned mouth. Alfred just shrugged as he ate his own meal. It was Christmas, so we had both insisted that Alfred join us – he was my family, my only family.

* * *

After the meal, Bruce and I went for a stroll through the capacious grounds of Wayne Manor.

Okay, I had been a bit of a pig during the meal. But the food had been _so_ good and I was still getting used to eating so well. I had been more used to scraps when on the street. Right at that moment, I had to have been the happiest girl in Gotham. Somehow I had gone from gutter-rat to vigilante superhero. Not only that, I was walking through the grounds of Gotham's number one address and I was hand-in-hand with Gotham's richest teenager...

Bruce stopped me and he placed a hand on each cheek, he pulled me close and he placed his lips on my own. The tingle that I felt soon left my lips and it flowed down to my nipples and then continued down to my crotch. I soon found myself moaning without really knowing why. There we were in the middle of an enormous lawn, wrapped up against the cold, but I could have been naked and I knew that the warmth between us would have been more than enough to stave off the cold.

The kiss blocked out everything around us and we felt like we were the only people in Gotham.

* * *

 ** _That same time  
The streets of Gotham_**

Everybody gave the man and his entourage a wide berth.

The man wore a black suit, a white shirt and a discrete black cravat. A grey pocket square finished off the ensemble. In his right hand, he held a black umbrella with a dark wood handle. His black hair was short and added to his sinister glare as he ignored all around him. The man walked with a strange loping gait which was accentuated by the shoes he wore. They were black and pointed.

Behind him came two men, one large, the other thin. Both were obvious bodyguards to the man in the suit. The streets were not busy, it being Christmas Day, but some were enjoying a casual walk after a traditionally large lunch. The small groups of Gothamites seemed to part like the Red Sea as the self-proclaimed 'King of Gotham' made his way in a southerly direction along Hicks Avenue.

He stopped outside a public bar. Butch stepped forwards and he pushed open the door for his boss.

* * *

The place was formerly known as Mooney's Nightclub.

Since Fish Mooney's demise at the hands of Hit Girl, the club had required new management. Naturally, Oswald Cobblepot had deemed it a shrewd acquisition – not that it had cost him a single buck. Now, Oswald's, as it was known, was a thriving nightspot for those involved directly or indirectly in Gotham's world of organised crime. The GCPD did not dare go near the place for fear of direct retribution. For the moment, the Penguin and his empire were unassailable.

Since the death of Falcone, control of the docks had also passed to Penguin. Maroni was somewhere in the city but he had some major rebuilding to do. Since Penguin had absorbed most of Fish's crew and many of Falcone's, he was the major force in Gotham for the foreseeable future. However, there was a fly in his ointment.

Actually, two to be accurate. Or to be even _more_ accurate, a bat and a cat.

* * *

 ** _Wayne Manor_**

It was good to see them enjoying themselves.

As I watched from the second floor window, I saw them kiss and wrap their arms around each other. I had a feeling that it was not just because it was damned cold out there. It was their time. They needed it. My sixth sense tingled. I was certain that Gotham was about to explode and the most corrupt city in the United States was going to need its two new beacons of hope.

I just hoped that they would live to grow and seal their bond together.

* * *

 ** _Downtown  
Cobble Hill  
The Flea_**

"Who are you?"

The blonde haired girl looked towards the voice. The girl who had spoken wore a very moth-eaten black and yellow jumper. Her hair was long and unkempt but it was obvious that she was a girl who could turn many heads after a good bath and some haircare.

"My name's Harleen. What's yours?"

"I'm Ivy."

"You without a family?"

"Not quite – my Dad was shot by a cop and my Mom's gone a bit loopy. You?"

"They were both killed some time ago. I live with my aunt in this shit-hole of a city."

"Come on and meet some of my friends, Harleen."


	7. New Year Escape

**_Thursday, December 31st, 2015_**

 ** _Gotham_**

The clock was ticking and we had only seconds before it was too late.

We made it to the roof of the building with literally just two seconds to go. I instantly dived into Batman's arms as the clock struck midnight and the city exploded into cheers. It was almost a full two minutes before either of us deigned to break the kiss. It was like trying to give up a drug. Finally, that all important fact of life overtook us and we both had to breathe.

"Happy New Year, Catwoman."

"Happy New Year, Batman."

"Now all the bloody snogging's over with; a Happy New Year to you both!" Alfred quipped over the comms.

"Happy New Year, Alfred!" We both answered with a slight giggle.

* * *

 ** _Friday, January 1st, 2016_**

Another year.

What might a new year in Gotham offer for the likes of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle? There would be good, but being Gotham, it would also be tempered with something bad. Things were very different than before. Bruce was no longer alone. He had a partner. He had a cause. He had a purpose. That same partner supported him in every endeavour.

All in all, I was happy.

What else could a bloody butler in Gotham want?

* * *

 ** _Sometime after ten that morning . . ._**

"Good morning!"

"Is it?" Selina moaned as she almost staggered into the kitchen.

"We seem to be missing somebody," Alfred commented with a smirk.

"He's still comatose . . ."

"Bacon and eggs, good lady?"

"Oh, God, no!" Selina squealed. "A glass of milk would be nice, thank you, Alfred."

"A glass of milk for the cat . . ."

Alfred winced as he heard Selina's head hit the kitchen table followed by a deep groan. The two of them had been galivanting around Gotham until the wee hours and as such were . . . what was the term? Knackered – that was it!

"Burning the candle from both ends is not going to do either of you any good," Alfred warned seriously.

"I know . . ."

"Why don't you two take a break and go somewhere warm and tranquil," Alfred suggested.

"A perfect idea, Alfred!" Bruce commented as he made his way to the seat opposite the collapsed Selina who had been talking into the table. "Just don't start lecturing about that damn double-ended candle . . ."

"Too late," Selina moaned.

"Right!" Alfred dictated. "One holiday – by God, even if you two don't need one, I bloody well do!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _To bring this story in line with Forsaken, a small-ish time-jump is in order. Interceding events will be covered in an offshoot story._

* * *

 ** _A little over four months later  
Monday, 9th May, 2016_**

 ** _Gotham City  
Wayne Manor_**

"Master Bruce!"

"Yes, Alfred."

"Phone call from France, for you. . ."

"France?"

"France.

Bruce reached for the nearest extension and lifted the receiver.

"Hello, Bruce Wayne here."

"Oh, very formal, Mr Wayne!"

"Mindy!"

* * *

 ** _Twenty minutes later_**

"She wants us to go to France!" Selina exclaimed. "We've only just got back from the boat."

"Well, it means I can get the Manor back to rights and you two can join the Mile-high Club," Alfred chuckled.

"I . . . don't think so?" Bruce muttered with a very red face.

"Would be a first. . ." Selina said with a straight face.

"Take-off at eleven, sir?"

"Thank you, Alfred."

* * *

 ** _Tuesday, 10th May 2016  
Early Morning_**

 ** _Biarritz, France_**

On landing, our pilot taxied our Gulfstream G280 into a cavernous Wayne Enterprises hanger.

Already unloading was a giant Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules. We both recognised Marty as he organised the unloading of the cavernous aircraft's cargo. As we climbed down the steps, several vehicles drove into the hanger.

"Selina, Bruce!"

I turned to see both Chloe and Megan running towards us. They then gave us both enormous hugs.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Chloe exclaimed.

"I needed to check on my French assets," I explained somewhat cryptically.

"Anything, to get outta Gotham!" Selina grimaced.

"It's good to see you guys," Mindy said as she hugged Selina.

"It's good to see _you_ , Mindy, you too, Dave, and the others. . ." Selina replied. "A few more recruits, I see."

"This is my eldest daughter, Stephanie," Mindy offered. "Stephanie, please meet Selina Kyle, and her boyfriend, Bruce Wayne!"

"Mindy!" Selina exclaimed with a blush.

"I could spot it a mile away, girl!"

"Good to meet you, Stephanie; I look forward to getting to know you," Selina said, in an eager effort to change the subject!

Mindy introduced us to some other new members, both from _Fusion_ as well as those from _Vengeance_ , in the UK. Selina was very pleased to see the twins who took great pride in showing off their Balisongs and Anne-Marie showed off an amazing set of Butterfly swords. It was obvious that the twins had thrived since leaving Gotham.

"It's not often that something from Gotham turns out so well," Selina commented.

..._...

Stephanie, and another new girl, Saoirse, brought over a young boy of maybe eleven-years-old.

"Aiden – this is Bruce and Selina; you will be safe with them and a long way away from the CIA," Mindy said in introduction.

"Hi, Aiden," I said as I held out my right hand. "We have a home for you. . ."

"Hi," Aiden replied, shaking my outstretched hand.

"Selina."

"Hi, Selina."

"You obey Selina and Bruce; they will look after you and they will help you to adjust," Mindy said. "You need to talk, Aiden, then me, Stephanie, even Saoirse; we will be available if you need us."

"Thanks, Mindy."

The boy was nervous as we led him aboard the executive jet and when he took a seat beside a window – he actually smiled.

* * *

 ** _Somewhere over the North Atlantic_**

"What's Gotham like?"

Bruce grimaced at the question and had to consider a response.

On their return to the city, they had found a virtual warzone. The city had been tearing itself apart – worse than usual, which was saying something in a city that was its own worst enemy. Some guy called Jerome had 'come back to life' and he was inciting mass rioting and God only knew what else. To be honest, a trip to Europe was not exactly what Selina and Bruce required at that moment as their first night out on the town after being away for four months had been hard.

Very hard.

* * *

 ** _Two days earlier. . .  
Sunday, 8th May 2016_**

 ** _Gotham City_**

"What the hell. . .?"

Bruce was astounded by what he saw of his home city. Selina was speechless. Black smoke drifted across the city and the GCPD appeared to have their hands full in a major way.

That evening, after a hearty dinner, the two teenage vigilantes descended into the Bat Cave. . .

..._...

"Good evening, Master Bruce, Miss Selina."

"Good evening, Lucius," Bruce replied.

"Good to see ya," Selina added.

"I have just completed the upgrades on your motorcycles and combat suits. Most will be self-explanatory but I would suggest not using anything new in a compromising situation until you have tested it before hand."

"Yeah, yeah," Selina said impatiently as she headed to get changed.

"Thanks, Lucius," Bruce said quickly as he rushed off after his girl.

"Lucius. . ."

"Alfred! Good trip?"

"Lovely – the sun was perfect."

"Anything, err – happen?"

"Oh, yeah – chronic prophylactic overuse in my opinion," Alfred replied dryly.

Lucius Fox raised an eyebrow and he went back to his computer.

* * *

 ** _Later that evening. . ._**

 ** _Cobble Hill  
Beaver Boulevard and North 9 Street_**

The gunfire was decidedly enthusiastic.

The unmarked GCPD unit, a red light flashing on the dashboard, was liberally peppered with bullet holes. Several yards away, a similarly perforated marked GCPD unit rested, one dead and one wounded officer on the ground beside it. Several men who had taken cover behind a parked van were pouring fire from machineguns and pistols at the two GCPD Detectives crouched behind the unmarked GCPD unit.

None of the participants in the gunfight saw nor heard the approaching motorcycles as they came to a halt thirty yards up the street. The two black-clad Gotham vigilantes studied the scene and took in friend and foe alike. It was eight to two – fairly good odds. After leaving their motorcycles, and Catwoman her helmet, the two vigilantes advanced on the eight examples of Gotham scum but not before one of the crouched Detectives detected their approach and one, a tall man, with short hair and a purposeful demeanour. He just shook his head and nudged his partner, a grizzled individual in a trilby.

..._...

Catwoman pounced on the van and stood on the roof looking down on the sheltering scum.

"You gentlemen having fun tonight?" she called down and several surprised faces looked up at her.

"Get her!" a voice yelled but before anybody could raise a pistol towards the cat-like individual, one of the scum caught something out of the corner of his eye and he turned to see a brief swish of a cloak then just the vague shape of an armoured fist as it slammed into his face.

The seven remaining men scrambled to handle the unexpected change in their evening's schedule as Catwoman somersaulted overhead to land before them.

"Come and get me, boys," she hissed.

Three went for her as the remaining four went for Batman who was smiling hugely. He spun around and kicked, putting two down directly. The next two attempted to bring their pistols to bear but Batman was ready and he smacked one pistol out of a hand and then grasped the other, twisting it savagely and the holder had no choice but to let go or lose his fingers.

"I hate to use guns, but for you, I'm making an exception. . ." Batman growled as he smashed the pistol into the man's face putting him down in a cloud of blood. "Anybody left . . .?"

"Nope!" Catwoman called out as the final piece of Gotham scum hit the sidewalk. "Here comes the GCPD!"

Batman looked over at the two GCPD Detectives as they strolled over, reloading and then holstering their pistols as they came.

"Did ya miss us?" Catwoman preened as she sidled up to the bearded, trilby wearing Detective.

Detective Harvey Bullock laughed out loud in a very raucous fashion. "I love you guys; welcome back!"

"We've been doing fine without you two," Detective Jim Gordon grumbled. "But, thanks for the assistance."

..._...

"What the fuck is that creepy laughter?" Catwoman demanded as laughter began to be heard over the sound of traffic.

"That would be our new problem," Bullock replied. "Jerome 'I'm a fucking nutcase' Valeska – he died in Arkham but now he's alive again."

"Normally, that would seem strange," Batman commented. "However, this is Gotham."

"That's exactly what I said," Gordon chuckled before he turned serious again. "He has followers – they've been around ever since Galavan killed him on stage."

Batman froze, remembering that event.

"Those followers think it's all a fuckin' game," Bullock complained. "They don't care who they hurt, who they kill – they're just plain wacko."

Just then, a pair of GCPD units appeared and skidded to a halt. Uniformed men jumped out and began to quickly take control of the scene.

"Time to get back to business," Gordon said. "You two . . ."

He was talking to thin air but he smiled as he heard the two motorcycles powering away.

* * *

The adrenalin was still surging through their systems, so, for no other reason than they both wanted more action, they headed east . . . towards The Narrows.

Earlier in the evening, they had given The Narrows a wide berth, not wanting to dive into any action too early. Now, as they crossed Trillium Street, they felt foreboding as they neared the stinking cesspit. Fox's description of the island echoed through Batman's mind: _'The Narrows. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.'_ The description was very apt.

They were both, very quickly, reminded of why The Narrows was deemed the most dangerous part of Gotham as bullets flew in their direction out of the darkness.

..._...

"Fuck!" Catwoman breathed as she took cover behind a parked van while several men ran down the street towards them.

"We're in trouble," Batman acknowledged as he scanned the controls on his motorcycle.

He touched a soft-button on the touchscreen which had appeared during their absence. The button was labelled ' **AA-12** ' and sounded vaguely familiar in his mind. A pulsing red button illuminated on the hand grip, under his right thumb and he pressed the button. . .

The roar of shotgun shells detonating echoed around the buildings of Hickory Street and four men went down under the onslaught, the others diving for cover as Batman sped past. He applied his brakes and came to a rapid halt several yards down the street. Catwoman dropped the last two men with her pistol as she rode down the sidewalk towards her friend.

"You appear to be embracing this darker side to Batman!" Catwoman commented dryly as she examined the four dead men on the street.

"I had no idea that I had goddamn shotguns!" Batman retorted angrily.

Catwoman took a moment to examine her own motorcycle.

"I've got them too!" she squealed in extreme happiness.

"I am _so_ pleased for you and your shotguns," Batman replied sarcastically as he indicated The Narrows. "Can we _please_ move on?"

"With pleasure," Catwoman chuckled as she ran back to her motorcycle.

They crossed over the waterway and they entered The Narrows.

* * *

The Narrows was the heart of everything that was bad about Gotham.

Violent crime was commonplace and the GCPD avoided the area unless they were in numbers. Nobody who valued their lives dared to go out into the Narrows after dark. Many people still lived on the island – mainly those who could not afford to live anywhere else. Those people were virtual prisoners in their own homes after dark while the streets below would echo with shouting, screaming . . . and worse.

..._...

She had had to go out. Her young son needed milk before he would go to sleep. She had no choice but to leave the five-year-old girl with her twelve-year-old daughter and head outside, two blocks, to the nearest late-night store. She tried to ignore the usual cacophony of noise and kept to the shadows – until two men stepped out of some darker shadows.

"Well, well, what have we here?"

"Please, leave me alone."

"She looks nice – hows about some fun, Hank?"

"I could do with a nice bit of juicy pussy, Jimmy."

The woman tried to run – she got about twenty feet before she ran into what seemed to be a brick wall. She looked up into . . . into blackness, darker than the night.

"Hey!" Hank yelled out. "That motherfucker is ours – go find your own bitch!"

"Yeah!" Jimmy added as he drew a large knife and raised it – then he screamed.

The knife clattered to the ground and Jimmy stared at what was embedded in the palm of his hand. It was metallic and non-reflective in the limited street lighting. The device appeared to be shaped into a bat shape – a bat with outstretched wings. Hank stared at his friend before he scowled and drew a pistol. The woman screamed as she was enveloped by something black and all-encompassing. She sensed several bullets striking the covering and then nothing as she heard the thud of a body hitting the ground.

"You can come out now."

The voice was electronically enhanced and scary but somehow, the woman knew that she was safe. She looked up as what turned out to be a cloak was removed from around her and she came face to face with the Batman. She looked over at the two men – both were on the ground. A woman stood over them – Catwoman. The two Gotham vigilantes were rumoured to haunt the streets at night – not many had ever seen them, but there they were, having saved her life.

"What are you doing out after dark," Batman enquired.

"I had to get milk for my son – he's at home with my daughter."

"Let's go shopping!" Catwoman hissed as she kicked the second man into unconsciousness.

If the clerk at the late-night store had been surprised to find Gotham's two active vigilantes in his store buying milk, he did not show it. Batman and Catwoman escorted the woman all the way home, only leaving her once she had gone inside and locked her doors.

The woman's last sight of the two vigilantes outside her home was a swish of the cloak and both quickly faded into the darkness.


	8. A New Boy At The Manor

**Author's Note:** _Aiden Maxwell is eleven-years-old and he is a Phase 2 graduate of the_ Urban Predator _program that was operated by the CIA and ultimately terminated by_ Fusion _. For background, see_ **Chapter 243: Urban Predator** _of my story_ **Forsaken** _as well as my story_ **The Fusion Ultimatum** _. Aiden was rescued by_ Fusion _and sent to Gotham to live with Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle._

* * *

 ** _Thursday, May 12th, 2016_**

 ** _Wayne Manor, Gotham_**

 ** _Bruce_**

The boy was very quiet and he had generally kept to himself since his arrival.

We had been back from France for two days, yet the boy had barely spoken and he had taken his meals in his bedroom. Admittedly, he had been wide-eyed at the sight of his new home and the enormous bedroom that he had been given. While he was openly stunned by his obvious change in fortune, I was wary. The kid was a trained killer, despite his only being eleven-years-old.

How did I feel having a young killer in my home? I had killed . . . on more than one occasion. Aiden had been taken at a young age, according to his file, and the kid had been taught to fight, to maim . . . and ultimately, to kill. Cat, of course, she saw nothing wrong, but then I knew her views on killing. Me; I only killed when it was _absolutely_ necessary. . . There was one more thing – at that moment in time, the boy did not know what Selina and I did when we went out at night. . .

For now, the boy would get the benefit of the doubt and we would trust him.

* * *

 ** _Aiden_**

The past few days had been like a whirlwind.

Eight days, previously, I had been on the _Cummings Delight_ , a massive, ultra-luxurious yacht being treated like a worthless piece of shit that somebody had brought in on the bottom of their shoe. I had attempted to thwart an attack by _Fusion_ and I had actually fought the famous _Psyche_! Then, after the yacht was sunk by _Fusion_ , I was thrown overboard like so much trash where I was then rescued by a cute blonde girl called Stephanie who turned out to be _Psyche_ herself – if I had had my wits about me, I might have asked her to marry me. . .

Then, a couple of days later, I was whisked away on an executive jet and treated like a prince. I was even more stunned to be _met_ at the foot of the aircraft stairs by a Rolls Royce, no less. The driver was also the butler, apparently, and he was called Alfred Pennyworth. We drove through the outskirts of Gotham – I was _not_ impressed by what I saw. However, I _was_ impressed by my new lodgings – Wayne Manor – which even the word 'extravagant' struggled to cover.

The flight had been long, so I had been shown to my new bedroom – I'd seen smaller gymnasiums! It was suggested that I rest until dinner, which would be at seven-thirty that night. There were even new clothes for me, in the wardrobe, which I was told should do until I could be taken shopping the following day. They left me on my own and I felt so overwhelmed that I was ashamed to admit to crying my eyes out on the bed.

Talk about rags to riches. . .

* * *

 ** _Selina_**

Dave had explained to me exactly what Aiden was trained to be – I was initially very shocked to hear that something like that actually existed; mind you, it sounded just like something which might have actually come out of Gotham!

The boy was cute, but he had not said much so I could not really judge him. I could sympathise with him, though and I had heard him sobbing as Bruce and I had walked away from his room. I knew how difficult it was to move into somewhere new, but I also knew that we would all be there to help him.

As for whether the boy would join Batman and Catwoman, we would just have to see.

* * *

 ** _The Kitchen_**

 ** _Bruce_**

"What's that, you have there, Alfred?"

"The boy's file, Master Bruce, it's all in here. Did you know that he 'enjoys making a fool of himself'? You two should get right along. . ."

Alfred laughed and so did Selina.

"Funny!"

"Also, he 'can be cocky and often needs to be put in his place' – he's right up your street too, young Miss. . ."

I laughed as Selina scowled.

"Give me that. . ." Bruce ordered.

Alfred passed over the file with a grin and he went back to preparing dinner.

* * *

 **TOP SECRET/SCI/UP/NOFORN**

 **Access to the information in this document  
is restricted to US Citizens with active SCI access  
for SPECIAL COMPARTMENTED INTELLIGENCE  
and URBAN PREDATOR information.**

 **DISSEMINATION CONTROL ABBREVIATIONS  
NOFORN – Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals**

 **This Component Budget of the National Intelligence Program is  
produced pursuant to provisions of Executive Order 12333, as  
amended by Executive Order 13470, and section 102A(c) of the  
National Security Act 1947, as amended.**

 **NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION**

 **Unauthorized Disclosure Subject to Criminal Sanctions**

 **TOP SECRET/SCI/UP/NOFORN**

 **...**

 **Birth Name:** Aiden Edward Hutton

 **Date of Birth:** December 14th, 2004  
 **Place of Birth:** New York City

 **Nationality:** Swedish-American

 **Sex:** Male

 **Phase 1**

 **Date of Commencement:** January 28th, 2013  
 **Age at Commencement:** Eight

 **Date of Completion:** June 8th, 2015

 **Given Name:** Aiden Maxwell

 **Status of Family:** Deceased during identity reassignment

 **Training Commentary**

 **Weapons Training:** Level 1 (Advanced)  
 **Explosives:** Level 1 (Intermediate)  
 **Martial Arts:** Level 1 (Intermediate) **  
Close Quarters Combat:** Level 1 (Intermediate)  
 **Computing and Communication:** Level 1 (Intermediate)  
 **Phase 1 Educational Curriculum:** Level 1 (Standard)

 **End of Phase 1 Notes**

The boy has shown an aptitude to violence and has been known to show aggression towards his fellow Predators. Initially, he was quiet and withdrawn. He took a few months to show that he had the required aptitude for being trained as a Predator. The initial indoctrination phase was accomplished without any issues and Aiden is deemed suitable, both academically and qualification wise to proceed to Phase 2 training. While his academic scores have not been exceptional, they are perfectly adequate for his intended purpose and for his age range. He has excelled at Weapons Training and the boy has a good eye on the range. His more physical training has been slow, mainly due to his physical size and upper body strength – this should improve as the boy gets older.

 **Phase 2**

 **Date of Commencement:** June 8th, 2015  
 **Age at Commencement:** Ten

 **Date of Completion:** BLANK

 **Phase 2 Codename:** Nightwing (to be issued on completion of Phase 2)

 **Training Commentary**

 **Weapons Training:** Level 2 (Advanced)  
 **Explosives:** Level 2 (Standard)  
 **Subversion:** Level 1 (Standard)  
 **Martial Arts:** Level 2 (Intermediate) **  
Close Quarters Combat:** Level 2 (Intermediate)  
 **Computing and Communication:** Level 2 (Advanced)  
 **Phase 2 Educational Curriculum:** Level 2 (Standard)

 **End of Phase 2 Notes**

BLANK

 **...**

 **Phase 3**

 **Date of Commencement:** BLANK  
 **Age at Commencement:** BLANK

 **Date of Completion:** BLANK

 **Training Commentary**

 **Weapons Training:** BLANK  
 **Explosives:** BLANK  
 **Subversion:** BLANK  
 **Martial Arts:** BLANK **  
Close Quarters Combat:** BLANK **  
Computing and Communication:** BLANK  
 **Sexual Exploitation:** BLANK **  
Phase 3 Educational Curriculum:** BLANK

 **End of Phase 3 Notes**

BLANK

* * *

 ** _That evening_**

 ** _The Dining Room_**

"Much better!"

The boy blushed as he walked into the room.

"Took me a while to find you all; this place is enormous!" Aiden offered.

"I still take wrong turns," Selina responded with a laugh.

"Please, Aiden – sit down next to Selina," Bruce said, indicating the chair beside Selina

Aiden hesitated.

"She doesn't bite, Master Aiden," Alfred advised the boy.

"Not hard, anyways," Bruce quipped and Selina grinned.

"More than I wanted to know, Master Bruce," Alfred grimaced as he made for the kitchen.

..._...

"So, is your room okay?" Bruce asked.

"It's enormous. . ."

"This place takes some getting used to – I used to be a gutter rat, until I fell for Bruce's charms. This place is the safest building in all of Gotham. You also have friends here, Aiden," Selina said soothingly.

"Thanks – all of you. This is taking some getting used to and I apologise now, if I ever come out as being even remotely, ungrateful," the eleven-year-old responded. "May I ask some questions, please?"

"A polite boy. . ." Selina chuckled. "I thought Bruce was bad – now I have another toff to deal with!"

Aiden and Bruce both blushed as Alfred chuckled.

"Please continue, Aiden," Bruce invited.

"I'm aware that Gotham is not exactly America's number one city – it may be among the biggest, but it is also the most corrupt."

"That is all very true," Bruce replied.

"Alfred left me some reading material – I read about your parents, Bruce – I'm very sorry. I know a bit about what's it like to have no parents. You, too, Selina?"

"Yeah – my parents are not around no more," Selina confirmed.

"What will I do? What will I be? Am I going to school?"

"To be honest – we have no idea," Bruce replied honestly. "We never planned on having a little kid moving in."

"I'm not 'little' – I'm a _Predator_."

"A _Predator_?" Selina asked innocently. "What's that?"

"You telling me you don't know – somehow I can't believe that you took me in without knowing at least that," Aiden replied cautiously.

"Okay, Aiden, cards on the table," Selina offered. "We know what a _Predator_ is. We know what training you have had. We know the sort of thing you were trained for."

Selina and Bruce saw Aiden's expression.

"We are not going to judge you, Aiden. Your training was forced upon you and you had no choice but to comply. We will only judge you on what you do from this moment on. Your past is not today," Bruce said to the boy.

"Thank you. I've been fretting about that from the moment I was taken aboard Ocean Vigilante. I was worried that I would not be accepted for what I was. I was worried that my past would destroy any hope I had for a new life; a normal life."

"I hate to put a downer on your plans for a normal life, young man, but Wayne Manor and those delinquents who call it home, are anything but normal."

Bruce scowled and Selina burst out laughing. Aiden just appeared confused.

* * *

 ** _Two days later  
Saturday, 14th May_**

 ** _Bay Side, Gotham_**

"You sure about this?"

"Yes, Bruce, I am," Selina replied confidently.

"Do I get a vote?" Aiden asked as he glanced around the darkened street, unease etched in his face.

"No, you don't," Selina replied much to Aiden's annoyance. "Bruce – pick us up in two hours; we'll call you."

With that, Selina hauled Aiden out of the Rolls Royce and she slammed the door.

..._...

"What are we doing?" Aiden asked.

"I thought we could go for a nice evening stroll," Selina replied.

"What – in this city?"

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"We could get fucking killed!"

"Yes – that _could_ happen, in all honesty. But aren't you a cold-blooded killer with skills up the wazoo?"

"Just because I can, doesn't mean I like it."

"A fair response."

No further conversation was exchanged as Selina led Aiden deeper into some of the seedier, but not all that dangerous, portions of Gotham – she had no intention of getting the boy killed on his first night out.

..._...

"I don't like this," Aiden complained.

"Come on – show some back bone."

"I can show way more than you, bitch."

"Not bad," Selina chuckled as they walked along Southwest Ninth Street.

The two young teens did not attract much attention. There were richer pickings that night for those out to gain a little cash. They saw their first mugging on the corner of State Street and Southwest Eighth Street. Selina said nothing, waiting for Aiden to comment on the scene before them. She saw his expression harden.

"Shouldn't we do something?" he asked.

"Like what? Call the cops?"

Aiden scowled at Selina who smiled.

"Go get 'em, cowboy!" she suggested.

..._...

Aiden ran forwards – not announcing his intentions as he ran at the two muggers and their prey. The muggers, two men in their early twenties, were intent on stripping their prey, a woman in her mid-forties, of everything valuable. Neither of the muggers saw the boy running out if the darkness towards them; they were too intent on their heinous activity.

The _Predator_ attacked out of the darkness, kicking the first mugger in the head. Aiden did not await any response, he attacked the other man just as hard and fast. Selina was very impressed by the skills being displayed before her but rather than intervene, she just watched from a safe distance as Aiden continued his attack. He held nothing back – there was no sound from him, just yelling from the two muggers. Their victim had run the moment attention had been taken away from her, so she was safe – unlike her attackers.

The first one was unconscious on the ground, blood spreading from a vicious looking head wound. The second man was fighting for his life – despite his attacker being only eleven-years-old. Aiden kicked and punched until the man joined his criminal colleague on the ground. Only then did Aiden stop, take a deep breath, and walk back towards Selina.

"That felt good," he commented.

Selina smiled as they headed deeper into the city.


	9. The Inquisitive Predator

**_The following morning  
Sunday, 15th May, 2016_**

 ** _Wayne Manor_**

Alfred was grinning broadly as he watched the three youngsters.

He was obviously highly skilled, despite his tender years. Within five minutes, he had both Selina and Bruce rolling around on the grass in various levels of pain. Aiden just stood over them, grinning just as broadly as Alfred.

"I am not about to have my ass kicked by some prepubescent little shit!" Selina growled as she leapt back to her feet and then she advanced on Aiden.

"Damn, he is good," Bruce admitted as he joined his partner.

Aiden went on guard as he saw the two teenagers advance on him from his eight o'clock and his four o'clock. He had studied their movements and he had grudgingly approved of their actions – they had obviously received some training from somebody competent. He had no idea, at that point, that he was facing off against a pair of Hit Girl's own pupils and neither of them were giving away any more free strikes.

Bruce and Selina both moved closer, keeping the same distance from their young target. Aiden would have to fight two attackers coming from two different directions – a skill he was trained for, but had never properly mastered. Two fists came at him, be spun around and he kicked out towards Selina, catching her in the stomach. He used the strike to push off and kick out at Bruce – but he missed his target. In return, Bruce caught Aiden's right leg and flipped him over and down.

Selina was there as he landed on the grass and she pinned him with her lower leg across the boy's throat. She punched him gently in the side.

"Stay down, boy!"

The kid was smart, Selina had to give him that – he stayed down.

"I enjoyed that!" Alfred chuckled as he headed back inside the Manor.

* * *

 ** _That night_**

 ** _North Point  
Gotham Docks_**

The docks were very dark, despite the attempts made at lighting the facility.

The darkness benefited most of those out on the docks that night. Those undertaking various nefarious activities enjoyed the darkness as they undertook their criminal activities. There were two more people out on the docks that night and the darkness was of significant benefit to them too. Batman moved through the darkness which pervaded the immense stacks of containers. Catwoman took the high ground, leaping from container stack to container stack as she went.

The two vigilantes were treading lightly and listening to their surroundings as they went. The docks had a sound all to their own. At that time of night, no ships were being unloaded or loaded, but three ships were alongside adding their own noise and crews to the ambient mix. One of the vessels was from China and there were several men moving up and down the vessel's gangway. The docks were supposed to have their own security, only they had a disturbing tendency to be scarce at night, presumably paid off. That night was no exception as a stream of boxes left the Chinese vessel and several large wooden crates were in the process of being lifted onto the same vessel.

Forty yards away, a sinister black shape, hidden in the shadows, peered through a set of night-vision binoculars. The shape monitored every movement of every box and crate. Finally, he had had enough and he triggered his communications.

"Stand by to move."

"Standing by," came the immediate response.

* * *

Two men were collating the boxes while a third randomly inspected the haul.

He slashed open a box with a box-cutter and he pulled out a stuffed toy which he went ahead and slashed open with the same box-cutter. Out of the slash, came a small plastic bag – inside the bag was a white powder.

"Perfect – the profit from these will be considerable," the man commented. "Get the boxes into the container and they'll be on the streets by tomorrow night."

"Yes, Boss!"

"What was that?" the other man queried.

"I heard nothing," his partner, Ray, replied as he continued to load a container with the boxes. "Get a move on – or we'll never get . . . Hank?"

Hank did not reply.

"Hank? Where the hell are you; you're a lazy fucker, you know that?"

Ray went looking for his partner. As he passed around the back of a container, the hairs on the back of his neck tingled before standing on end. He sensed that he was not alone.

"Hank? Is that you?"

Something came at him out of the darkness – he tried to scream, to yell out a warning, but his face collided with the side of a container before he could do more than whimper.

..._...

His name was Harry and he was in charge of the loading operation. He looked around, annoyed. There was no sign of his layabout charges, Ray and Hank. He grumbled to himself about lazy bastards in general as he headed for the container where they had been working.

"Oy – you two lazy twats. . ." he growled.

A shadow blocked out one of the few arc lights that spilt their light down over the containers and actually reached the ground in between the towering stacks. Harry looked upwards just in time to see the shadow appear to float down towards him. A pair of boots struck him in the chest a few two seconds later and he fell to the ground. Harry began to shake with fear as he tried to make sense of the . . . person . . . thing . . . standing before him.

"What the hell are you?"

The man was hauled so his face was mere inches from the black mask.

"I'm Batman!"

Batman paused for a second as a tramp ambled past a dozen yards away, pushing his shopping cart.

"Nice coat, old timer," Catwoman called out as she jumped down beside her partner.

A swift punch on the part of Batman left Harry sleeping soundly.

"My turn. . ."

Catwoman ran off into the darkness while Batman just shrugged at the tramp as he ran after his partner.

* * *

 ** _That same time_**

 ** _Wayne Manor_**

"Alfred?"

"Yes, young master."

"Where are Bruce and Selina?"

"They've gone into Gotham, sir."

"Oh – when will they be back?"

Alfred chuckled.

"When those two go into Gotham, they get a little carried away and they reappear when they are ready."

"What do they do in Gotham?" the boy persisted.

"A little of this and a little of that – miss Selina likes to explore her roots and master Bruce likes to meet new people. . ."

* * *

 ** _North Point  
Gotham Docks_**

"Hi – I don't think we've met; I'm Batman. . ."

The large man went down as Batman clipped him around the temple after doubling him over with a kick to the stomach.

"This is _so_ much fun!" Catwoman preened as she used her long legs to haul another large man to the ground where she punched his lights out.

She rolled away as she was attacked by the next goon. Batman was facing off against another pair so Catwoman was on her own – not that she minded; not one bit! Her agility was second to none, and she used that agility to improve her chances of staying alive while she faced off against men who were perfectly capable of snapping her into tiny little pieces should they ever succeed in getting their hands on her lithe body. Her armoured fists punched out, striking skin and she relished the grunts each strike elicited, especially the strike to the man's mouth which struck with a crunch as several teeth broke and a big glob of blood exploded out into the cool night air. The man growled, his feral anger coming to the fore as he stuck back.

One, two, three rapid punches struck Catwoman in her chest and she fell backwards to the ground. She dodged the foot that kicked out towards her head and with a twist, she came back to her feet, coming face to face with the seethingly angry bastard.

"You're so going to regret that, you fucking pussy bitch!"

"Pussy, I am. Bitch, I am. Fucking, I like. But you know what?"

"What?"

"I won't regret killing you!"

The knife flipped through the air and finished up in the man's carotid artery. The man sagged to the ground as copious amounts of hot blood exploded out of his neck and splashed across the ground. Catwoman yanked out her blade, increasing the blood flow and after wiping the blade off on the man's shoulder, she turned for her next target.

She found herself facing Batman.

"I think we are done here," he commented.

* * *

 ** _An hour later. . ._**

 ** _Beneath Wayne Manor_**

"Alfred?"

"Yes, Master Bruce."

"Any problems with our young friend?"

"No, Master Bruce – he's in his room. Anything nasty to report?"

"A few bruises – but nothing to write home about," Bruce replied. "I'm going to check over, err . . . check in with Selina. . ."

Alfred chuckled as he ascended the stone steps.

* * *

 ** _Twelve days later. . .  
Friday, 27th May_**

 ** _Wayne Manor_**

Bruce came awake but he had no idea why.

Then he felt it – something had just slid into his bed. He then heard a muted giggle and he smiled, relaxing slightly. His left hand reached behind him and he felt skin – just skin, no clothing – but then his hand touched something different: soft pubic hair. As he touched that place, he heard a louder giggle as an arm reached over his body and wrapped itself around his chest.

He rolled over and he came face to face with the most beautiful girl in the world. As he peered under the duvet, he saw that the girl was completely naked. The past couple of weeks had not been kind to her body; bruises existed all over her body marring her beauty. Not that Bruce minded as he gently ran his eyes and hands over her body, caressing the bruised breasts and her bruised hips and thighs. His fingers slipped amongst her dark pubic hair which Selina had allowed to grow back, not having had the time to trim as she normally would.

"Happy Birthday, Bruce," Selina mumbled as she gave him a deep and a very meaningful kiss.

"Thank you, Selina," Bruce replied, kissing her back and allowing his body to rub up against her own.

"You appear . . . very happy . . . to . . . see me," Selina offered in between kisses as she reached down and roughly pushed her hand inside the waistband of his shorts. "Oh . . . _very_ happy!"

..._...

"Good morning, Alfred."

"Good morning, to you, Master Aiden."

"No sign of Bruce or Selina?"

Alfred laughed.

"If I know those two, Miss Selina will be giving Master Bruce his birthday present."

"His birthday?"

"Master Bruce is fourteen-years-old, today."

"What present would Selina be giving. . ."

Aiden was cut off by a very loud and piercing scream from somewhere upstairs in the Manor. The boy's face went very pink and he sank down in his chair.

". . . I think I've figured it out. . ." Aiden muttered.

"Selina has excellent stamina and technique," Alfred commented as he returned to the kitchen. "So Bruce tells me. . ."

..._...

"Good morning, Alfred, Aiden."

"Good morning, to _you_ , Master Bruce . . . and to you, Miss Selina."

"Morning, Bruce, Selina," Aiden grinned.

Selina looked a little self-conscious as she sat down.

"You sounded in good form, this morning, Miss Selina," Alfred chuckled.

Selina's mouth dropped open and her face went pink for a moment before turning a very deep red.

"That must have been one hell of an orgasm, Selina," Aiden pointed out. "Well done, Bruce – you definitely know how to hit the spot!"

It was Bruce's turn to experience an intense heat build-up in his cheeks.

"I do what I can," Bruce commented.

* * *

 ** _That evening. . ._**

 ** _The study_**

Bruce and Selina sat on one of the comfortable couches.

Alfred entered the study, he was followed by Aiden, who for some reason appeared worried. Bruce waved him to sit on the opposing couch while Alfred stood beside the large wooden desk.

"Am I in trouble?" Aiden asked.

"Surprisingly, no," Selina commented.

"You are remarkably well behaved, young sir – I just wish I could say the same for those two," Alfred quipped.

Bruce stood up and he walked over to the large fireplace with the equally large wooden mantel. He turned to face Bruce.

"We have been very happy with how you have progressed with your training over the past two weeks or so since you came to live with us. Are you happy here?" he asked.

"Yes . . . I am. I love it here; you are all so kind to me. Are you thinking of sending me away?"

"No, Aiden," Selina cut in. "Quite the obvious."

"We believe that it is time to let you in on a dark secret. By letting you in on this secret, we are placing our lives in your hands. Only, it is worse than that, dozens more will have their lives put at risk if we have misjudged putting our trust in you, Aiden Maxwell."

Aiden appeared pensive as she took in all that Bruce had said.

"You have skills that we need, Aiden. You may only be eleven, but you are not an average eleven-year-old. You may have been trained to be a _Predator_ , trained to do another's bidding, but we will not take their place. What we are offering is entirely voluntary – that is, we will not force any of this onto you. Even if you decline, you will still be able to remain here at Wayne manor for as long as you should wish."

Aiden's expression was no of confusion.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Bruce – you will insist on using fifty words when less than a dozen will do," Selina groaned. "Aiden, what we are about to show you is secret, but we want to trust you, can we?"

"Yes, you can."

Selina strode over to one of the large bookcases behind the desk and she pulled out a certain book, from a certain shelf, and she opened it. Selina passed the book to Aiden. He looked at where the book had been opened. Inside, he saw a small device, little bigger than an iPod.

"Press it," Selina suggested.

Aiden stood up as he pressed the button on the remote after he had removed it from the book. Music began to play; he frowned in confusion as he heard grating and to his immense surprise, the fireplace sank backwards into the wall. He handed the device back to Selina and he walked over to the fireplace. The boy caught sight of the short passageway to the right and then the rough-hewn stone staircase that vanished steeply downwards. There were numerous modern LED lights, which provided bright illumination of the steps and it was obvious that they descended quite a distance.

The boy's face showed amazement as he looked down into the depths beneath Wayne Manor.


	10. Nightwing

**_Two weeks later  
_** ** _Saturday, June 11th, 2016_**

 ** _Beneath Wayne Manor_**

It had been his first night out.

He had survived, barely!

"Cat – you are certifiable; you almost got me killed!"

"Stop overreacting, Aiden. . ."

"He has a point, Selina."

"Okay, you boys stick together; I'm off to shower . . . _alone_!"

"I think she's on her . . . you know . . . the monthly thing," Bruce muttered as his cheeks turned pink.

"Her period? Okay . . . explains a lot."

"How's your leg?"

"A little tender, but I've had worse – much worse!"

..._...

Aiden headed upstairs to get out of his brand-new combat suit.

Before he did, however, he stood before the full-length mirror and he examined his reflection. His suit was primarily matt black with blue markings running down his arms from shoulder to finger tips. His chest and back were heavily armoured, while the rest of his suit was more lightly armoured. His lower arms were encased in more armour, leading to his armoured gauntlets. His left wrist bore a five-inch touch screen which connected with his communications equipment. His may black utility belt held his communications equipment, spare ammunition magazines, and various other items of equipment.

On his right thigh, he bore a SIG Sauer P320 TACOPS Carry in nine-millimetre. His left thigh bore a six-inch combat knife. On his back, he bore a pair of 26-inch aluminium and carbon-fibre bastons. His feet, were clad in matt black boots which came up to his knees. To protect his identity, he wore a cowl-style mask with the face portion shaped like a bat, covering his eyes, temples, and cheek bones.

"You are one bad-ass, motherfucker, Nightwing," Aiden whispered to himself.

"You did well, kid."

Aiden turned to find Selina standing in the doorway. The girl was clad in nothing but a towel which extended from just above her breasts, to just below her. . .

"Thanks."

"I'm sorry I got you hurt – I wasn't thinking. I was showing off and . . . well, it's Gotham; I forgot that. It won't happen again."

Aiden nodded as Selina vanished. When he pulled off his mask, he took a moment to consider the past couple of weeks.

* * *

 ** _Two weeks earlier  
Friday, May 27th_**

 ** _The Study, Wayne Manor_**

"Aiden, what we are about to show you is secret, but we want to trust you, can we?" Selina asked.

"Yes, you can," Aiden had responded, not really knowing what he was signing up for.

Selina then strode over to one of the large bookcases behind the desk and she pulled out a certain book, from a certain shelf, and she opened it. Selina passed the book to Aiden. He looked at where the book had been opened. Inside, he saw a small device, little bigger than an iPod.

"Press it," Selina suggested.

Aiden stood up as he pressed the button on the remote after he had removed it from the book. Music began to play; he frowned in confusion as he heard grating and to his immense surprise, the fireplace sank backwards into the wall. He handed the device back to Selina and he walked over to the fireplace. The boy caught sight of the short passageway to the right and then the rough-hewn stone staircase that vanished steeply downwards. There were numerous modern LED lights, which provided bright illumination of the steps and it was obvious that they descended quite a distance.

The boy's face showed amazement as he looked down into the depths beneath Wayne Manor.

"You want to know where we go at night?"

Aiden nodded dumbly in reply to Bruce's question. Selina reached for the young boy's hand and she led him towards the stairs

..._...

The boy had been totally stunned by what by was witnessing. His eyes darted around so fast that they almost became disconnected.

"Bats?"

"Yeah – nice aren't they," Bruce commented without much enthusiasm.

"He hates them," Selina expanded.

"Those motorcycles – they're yours?"

"Oh, yeah," Selina grinned.

"Holy vigilantes!"

Selina and Bruce grinned.

"You two are Batman and Catwoman!"

"Maybe he _is_ as bright as he looks," Alfred chuckled.

Aiden grinned.

"Why are you showing me all this?"

"Stephanie tells me that you never received your codename from the CIA."

Aiden nodded gloomily.

"Well, they did give you a codename, however, we are not going to use it as a codename, it is going to be your vigilante name."

"Welcome, Nightwing."

* * *

The next few days had been like a whirlwind as the boy was shown the 'Bat Cave' – Alfred's suggestion – and then whisked off into central Gotham where he found himself deep beneath Wayne Tower and face to face with a grizzled looking man who smiled down at the boy.

"I have just the thing for you, young man," Lucius Fox commented before he led the boy past many weird and wonderful items. . .

"Is that an armoured helicopter?" Aiden asked in awe.

"Airbus H130 – she's being prepared for another client," Fox mentioned casually as he continued past the helicopter, three partially disassembled motorcycles and several other forms of transport in various stages of a rebuild. "Aaah, here we are. . ."

Aiden stared at a table where various sections of what appeared to be body armour were laid out.

..._...

Over the space of four hours, the boy had been stripped and re-dressed in his new body armour before weapons and equipment were hung on his combat suit. The end result while awesome was heavy but nothing that he could not handle. The suit, itself, was much lighter than he had expected, but amazingly fluid – as a result, none of his movements were restricted in any way.

The pistol was neat and way better than anything which he had used in _Urban Predator_. It was then, at that point, when he realised that he was being invited to join an elite organisation. An organisation that had resources. An organisation that looked after its members. He thought back several weeks to when he had found himself swimming for his life in the Bay of Biscay.

The organisation which had rescued him had been the same organisation which had previously stormed the same yacht which he had recently abandoned minutes after that same organisation had blasted it apart with missiles and heavy weaponry. He had been scared to death at that moment, but he had recognised an organisation which was highly skilled and obviously related to Batman and Catwoman.

Thoughts had crossed his mind as he had enjoyed the comforts of Wayne Manor. He had considered heading out on his own; he had skills, but no resources. But he had needs – he enjoyed fighting, he enjoyed killing . . . to a point. After meeting a young girl, known as Psyche, he had realised that it was possible to use his skills for something other than bad, for something other than just being ordered to kill people who probably deserved to live.

Having witnessed the scum of Gotham at first hand, he knew that there were people out there who _deserved_ to die – his conscience was clear.

* * *

 ** _The present  
Saturday, June 11th_**

 ** _West Side, Midtown_**

"Well, well, the Bat and the Cat have been breeding – who do we have here?"

Batman growled as he glared at 'Penguin'. The strange man had a twinkle in his eye and a crooked smile on his face as he stood facing the three Gotham vigilantes. The man was creepy, or so Catwoman thought. He had got worse ever since Fish Mooney had been beheaded by Hit Girl. He had taken over much of her empire. He was also at war with Maroni as they fought over the remains of Falcone's crumbling assets.

In general, the GCPD had left them to it – if they were killing each other, then they weren't damaging the city; a warped reasoning, but perfectly valid in a place such as Gotham. Yes, that other freak, the self-styled 'Joker' was rampaging around Gotham, but he was slowly being whittled down as his 'worshippers' were removed.

"I am Nightwing and don't you forget that you little worm!" Nightwing growled through his electronically enhanced voice.

"My apologies, little man," Penguin chuckled. "I meant no offence, I just like to know the names of the people that I am about to hurt."

..._...

The three vigilantes were spaced out, evenly, across the street to allow them to each make use of their weapons without fear of hurting their fellow vigilantes.

"I really am sorry, but you two – and now him, you just upset things . . . and that means that you just have to go. See you soon."

Penguin slunk back behind his thugs like the coward he really was and the fighting began as the first four thugs came forward and Batman threw the first punch. The adrenalin surged within Nightwing and he found himself relishing the fight as he drove his fists into anything which came close. The thugs were large but Nightwing was a fast mover and he kept moving and dodging. Moving and striking. One thug went down at his fists and he punched the man viciously in the face ensuring that the bastard stayed down.

"Nightwing – move!"

Nightwing rolled out of the way as another thug tried to shoot him with a pistol. Batman threw one of his razor-sharp bat-shaped frisbees at the man, badly cutting his wrist and forcing him to drop the pistol. Nightwing took the opportunity to kick the wounded man to the ground before the criminal could draw another weapon. He felt no remorse for putting down the Penguin's men – they were evil and they deserved everything that they got.

As the boy turned for another target, he saw Catwoman facing off against a pair of men. She was fast and she was able to dodge their powerful punches without a lot of outward effort. Catwoman saw it all as a bit of fun which Batman tolerated but hated. There were times when her lack of seriousness got in the way and put them both at risk. Even at that moment, when she should have been watching Nightwing, she was off on her own, taking on more than she could safely handle.

Batman knew that she would never learn until something bad happened. That night, something bad almost happened as Catwoman showboated with Penguin's goons. Being a well-rounded female in a catsuit, she attracted more than her fair share of attention, but she welcomed it, loving the attention. Nightwing, being new on the scene, had also attracted his own fans. They all wanted to know how good the new kid was.

The boy was tiring fast and the additional attention was beginning to panic him as he fought for his life. He called out to Catwoman, but she was too busy and there was no way for her to easily disengage from the mini skirmish that she had brought upon herself. Batman was on the far side of Catwoman – he could hear Nightwing's calls for help – struggling with his own fighters. However, seeing that Catwoman was fully occupied, he swiftly disengaged from the fight and he ran past his female colleague and on towards Nightwing.

Nightwing's attackers were too intent on having ago at the youngster to properly notice what was going on around them. That was _their_ mistake: Hit Girl had taught Batman and Catwoman situational awareness and that the lack of it could be deadly. Batman took down two men before anybody even knew that he was there. Nightwing was very relieved to see Batman tearing into his attackers and a burst of adrenalin helped him to put down the closest man – the rest decided to make a run for it, like the cowards that they were.

"All done!" Catwoman breathed as the last attackers fled.

There was no sign of Penguin – he had vanished back into the darkness which was Gotham.

* * *

 ** _The following morning  
Sunday, June 12th_**

 ** _Wayne Manor_**

Bruce and Aiden walked out onto the veranda outside the study.

Selina was studying something which neither of them had seen before. The tan coloured object was coiled up and held in Selina's right hand. With a flick of her wrist, the object uncoiled in a flash, an d her right arm came back, behind her head before coming down hard and fast. The whipping sound, followed by the supersonic crack as the loop broke the sound-barrier was crisp and sharp. The tip cut through the air at over 1,500 miles per hour.

"A new toy?" Bruce enquired.

The bullwhip was ten-feet in length and made of tan leather. Selina coiled it back up again before executing another ear-splitting crack.

"You going to be using that in bed?" Aiden quipped.

Selina grinned.

"Oh, Bruce has more than enough marks on him already. . ." she replied with a fiendish grin and a wink.

"I'm about to _crack_ some eggs and _whip_ up an omelette," Alfred called out. "Anybody interested in a spot of lunch?"


End file.
